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Here is the idea, please vote if you like it: Most cars already have a big LCD in the center console for navigation or entertainment, but each manufacturer writ

Here is the idea, please vote if you like it: Most cars already have a big LCD in the center console for navigation or entertainment, but each manufacturer writes their own software for it. My idea is to have it run Android, which would allow anyone to make apps specifically for cars, entertainment or information-based, taking advantage of special API like vehicle speed, fuel, error codes, etc (from OBD2 or ECU). This would bring huge value for car manufacturers(offsetting the development cost) and customers would love the limitless customization possibilities. Here is how it would look like: http://s13.postimage.org/8bt3a7kdj/Car_Droid.jpg http://s13.postimage.org/8bt3a7kdj/Car_Droid.jpg

calciphus 14y ago
For what it's worth, a lot of manufacturers use .NET actually. Microsoft started pushing for integration into those systems back in the WINCE days, and has made significant headway. The "SYNC" based players are just the latest iteration. Figure the car development cycle is about 3 years, and realize Andriod was just starting to exist in the minds of car designers when this year's models were being designed. It'll be a while, but I wish you the best. Bet you dollars to jelly beans that the Google driverless cars have Android though =)
- pjmlp 14y ago
  I know from a friend that a big German manufacturer uses .NET in their cars.
- objclxt 14y ago
  This is definitely already happening - I tangentially work on a number of projects embedding Android into transport, and it's really just a matter of time before manufacturers adopt Android as a matter of course. For example, the top two manufacturers of in-flight entertainment systems are already transitioning to Android (Thales and Panasonic). There are a number of benefits using Android like this, least of all you can take advantage of the hardware expertise that already exists for building Android backed devices, and leverage the larger amount of software talent available. Of course, there are problems. All these embedded systems have very long shelf lives, much longer than a typical handset. A IFE unit in a plane might be expected to last 15 years at least, a car is hopefully going to spend a decade or more on the road. The hardware is not going to be upgraded - don't expect updates to later Android versions. This presents problems for third-party development, assuming manufacturers offer it. Ideally, you'd hope for a manufacturer supplied SDK that offered you easily consumable information and telemetrics (vehicle speed, fuel level, etc) and an open app store. Car companies may not see an advantage to offering it at this time. So really, the challenge isn't to convince car manufacturers to use Android: most are almost certainly already considering it for their high-end models. Instead, it's to get a tech eco-system that's open.
  - snogglethorpe 14y ago
    > For example, the top two manufacturers of in-flight entertainment systems are already transitioning to Android (Thales and Panasonic). Hmmm, on a flight a couple of years ago my IFE screen (Panasonic I believe) crashed, and I was treated to linux kernel boot messages and then a bunch of SDL (the hoary old linux graphics/game library) error messages as it messily failed to restart properly... It definitely had a bandaid-and-chewing-gum feel, so using something like Android would probably be a good thing.
chaostheory 14y ago
Any more details?
- romonopoly 14y ago
  It got rejected by Nissan, not sure why...
  - chaostheory 14y ago
    That's strange since it's in the top 10 with votes.

calciphus 14y ago

For what it's worth, a lot of manufacturers use .NET actually. Microsoft started pushing for integration into those systems back in the WINCE days, and has made significant headway. The "SYNC" based players are just the latest iteration. Figure the car development cycle is about 3 years, and realize Andriod was just starting to exist in the minds of car designers when this year's models were being designed. It'll be a while, but I wish you the best. Bet you dollars to jelly beans that the Google driverless cars have Android though =)

pjmlp 14y ago
I know from a friend that a big German manufacturer uses .NET in their cars.
objclxt 14y ago
This is definitely already happening - I tangentially work on a number of projects embedding Android into transport, and it's really just a matter of time before manufacturers adopt Android as a matter of course. For example, the top two manufacturers of in-flight entertainment systems are already transitioning to Android (Thales and Panasonic). There are a number of benefits using Android like this, least of all you can take advantage of the hardware expertise that already exists for building Android backed devices, and leverage the larger amount of software talent available. Of course, there are problems. All these embedded systems have very long shelf lives, much longer than a typical handset. A IFE unit in a plane might be expected to last 15 years at least, a car is hopefully going to spend a decade or more on the road. The hardware is not going to be upgraded - don't expect updates to later Android versions. This presents problems for third-party development, assuming manufacturers offer it. Ideally, you'd hope for a manufacturer supplied SDK that offered you easily consumable information and telemetrics (vehicle speed, fuel level, etc) and an open app store. Car companies may not see an advantage to offering it at this time. So really, the challenge isn't to convince car manufacturers to use Android: most are almost certainly already considering it for their high-end models. Instead, it's to get a tech eco-system that's open.
- snogglethorpe 14y ago
  > For example, the top two manufacturers of in-flight entertainment systems are already transitioning to Android (Thales and Panasonic). Hmmm, on a flight a couple of years ago my IFE screen (Panasonic I believe) crashed, and I was treated to linux kernel boot messages and then a bunch of SDL (the hoary old linux graphics/game library) error messages as it messily failed to restart properly... It definitely had a bandaid-and-chewing-gum feel, so using something like Android would probably be a good thing.

chaostheory 14y ago

Any more details?

romonopoly 14y ago
It got rejected by Nissan, not sure why...
- chaostheory 14y ago
  That's strange since it's in the top 10 with votes.