Six founding companies want to see Android devices integrate seamlessly with our vehicles
It’s clear that cars are one of the next platforms ready for a jump in innovation, and the newly-formed Open Automotive Alliance plans to lead the charge. Announced quietly via a press release and a post on the Android Google+ page, the OAA is a group that hopes to improve the integration between cars and Android devices. Google, GM, Audi, Honda, Hyundai and NVIDIA are the six founding members of the OAA, and naturally more companies are welcomed to join.
While initial details are a bit sparse, the broad goal of the OAA seems clear: be for the automotive industry what the Open Handset Alliance is for Android on phones and tablets. The group suggests 2014 can be the year of the connected and intelligent car, explaining that integration between our mobile devices and vehicles should be seamless. Not only for ease of use and entertainment purposes, but most importantly for driver safety.
The basic idea here is to not only push Android into the car itself, but to create a common platform across cars so that Android devices know how to connect and interact with them. If you’ve spent any time with various phones and cars you know it can be a rather hit-or-miss experience right now — the OAA wants to fix that.
The OAA’s website claims that we will see “the first cars with Android integration” by the end of this year. Naturally each manufacturer will be moving at its own pace, but lets hope that now at least a few are moving in the same direction.
Source: OAA; +Android