Standard infotainment software for cars

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Aug 12, 2015
Messages
785
Location
Central NY
Computers run on Microsoft Windows. Phones run on android. No matter who makes the device or what it looks like, it has the same general set up.

How come there is no "standard" for automotive infotainment? it's like every phone manufacturer having their own operating systems, and every time you get a new phone(or switch to a different brand car) you have to relearn everything.

Uconnect, Entune, MyFord touch, iDrive etc. are nothing alike. Some are touch screens, some have a touch pad, some have a mouse, some lag, some look basic, some look advanced. I'm surprised nobody has streamlined a set up that works the same across all cars. I'm sure they can integrate skins to differentiate brands.
 
Honda is using Android for their new system in EX and higher trim levels. FCA will also be building UConnect 5 on Android. Pioneer is using Android on their higher-end NEX series and Linux on the lower end ones. The latest Toyota Entune is built on Linux, but Lexus Enform is still on BlackBerry QNX, so is Sync 3(MyFord Touch and Sync was on Microsoft Windows Automotive). BMW iDrive is on VXWorks. GM has also jumped on the Android train.

The OEMs want to differentiate - and that's where CarPlay and Android Auto come in. CarPlay is more slick and integrated than Android Auto which you have to download the app and set it up before plugging or syncing in. CarPlay is tied in tight into iOS and Apple made the APIs for it available for the OEMs and the aftermarket.

Tesla has gotten it right, they've eschewed Apple/Google and built their own infotainment that's very intuitive to use. And if you know JavaScript, you can even tweak the LCD screen on the Model S/X(and perhaps the Model 3/Y).
 
Same as the systems on the cars themselves. Anything beyond the government mandated OBDII minimum is proprietary and unique. The better to separate the consumer from his money.
 
Likely because it's being built for a purpose and not for extensibility. First pass IMHO best method.

Also it's possible the programming for automaker is car maker specific and they carried forward with infotainment.


Normally first pass and agile software method is build it to meet requirements. If their is product owner demand build the extensibility in things after.

After trying a bunch of compact CUVs I my wife and I agreed the VW infotainment system was superior in responsviness/clean look/ease to garbage from Honda, Subaru, Toyota, Uconnect, Ford and well Mazda was then outdated
 
It's the early days with a ton of competitors trying to become dominant. In a few years we will see some standard approaches and looks, customized to look different.

I, myself, think these infotainment systems are usually vulgar so I don't care much to what happens to them. Mine's usually turned off.
 
I just updated the Sync 3 in my F150 from 3.3 to 3.4 and it was an easy process, although it did remind me heavily of that joke years ago that evolved out of Bill Gates saying if cars were like Microsoft Windows they'd be so great. Among the lines in the joke was that if cars were like MS Windows they'd lock up for no reason while going down the road and sometimes you would have to pull to the side of the road to turn the engine off then restart the car when it wasn't running right. Well, we're at least half way there with the infotainment stuff. You have download the update zip file from owner.ford.com, unzip it to a USB drive that has to be formatted as exFAT file system, start the truck and insert the USB into one of the USB ports in the front console only as the rear console ports are not data capable only for charging. The truck has to be running because the update process takes longer than the two minute time out if the key is only in accessory position. But the update process proceeds when driving so you needn't sit and idle. It took about 7 or 8 minutes to complete, then popped a Update Complete message that ...wait for it ... the update will take effect after you turn the vehicle off and restart it. LoL. That old joke is beginning to come true.
 
because it integrates features from cars that are proprietary and they can also charge for features. $$$$$ moneymaker.

for example on Jeeps the body control module controls a ton of stuff.. on hyundais not so much.

Examples of both:
heated seats on touchscreen vs hard switches.
uconnect can charge $500 for navigation that is worse than android auto..
 
Originally Posted by LoneRanger
I just updated the Sync 3 in my F150 from 3.3 to 3.4 and it was an easy process, although it did remind me heavily of that joke years ago that evolved out of Bill Gates saying if cars were like Microsoft Windows they'd be so great. Among the lines in the joke was that if cars were like MS Windows they'd lock up for no reason while going down the road and sometimes you would have to pull to the side of the road to turn the engine off then restart the car when it wasn't running right. Well, we're at least half way there with the infotainment stuff. You have download the update zip file from owner.ford.com, unzip it to a USB drive that has to be formatted as exFAT file system, start the truck and insert the USB into one of the USB ports in the front console only as the rear console ports are not data capable only for charging. The truck has to be running because the update process takes longer than the two minute time out if the key is only in accessory position. But the update process proceeds when driving so you needn't sit and idle. It took about 7 or 8 minutes to complete, then popped a Update Complete message that ...wait for it ... the update will take effect after you turn the vehicle off and restart it. LoL. That old joke is beginning to come true.



Did you get the Sync 3.4 update from Ford? Mine still says no update.
 
Pretty sure, that was it. In the truck it never mentioned any update available. It came up on my Fordpass app I think. When I signed on to owner.ford.com it had the update link shown.
 
Originally Posted by Rand
because it integrates features from cars that are proprietary and they can also charge for features. $$$$$ moneymaker.

for example on Jeeps the body control module controls a ton of stuff.. on hyundais not so much.

Examples of both:
heated seats on touchscreen vs hard switches.
uconnect can charge $500 for navigation that is worse than android auto..

And on new cars, you can't rip out the factory infotainment since it's tied into the car AND it's in a tablet format - the OEMs are trying to give the hoi polloi a Tesla-like look now. Volvo on the new XC90 and Toyota on the refresh of the 4th gen Prius have a 11.6" LCD like a Model S/X. You can't just put in a 2DIN any more. Pioneer now has a remote display aftermarket system, and the aftermarket now has a "floating" display to emulate the OEM "tablet" look.

I know iDatalink has the Maestro interface and radios that support it(mostly Pioneer, JVCKenwood and some Sony/Alpine) use it to retain Sync, climate control and telematics. PAC also makes OnStar/Sync interfaces. I had to install a PAC interface to keep my MFD, since older Prii use it for warning messages and HVAC.
 
I think the ones with the screen that sticks up from the instrument panel like an open laptop, for example the new gen 2019 Toyota RAV4... I think that "look" is moronic. Just my opinion. So much cleaner and slicker looking smoothly integrated into the flow of the instrument panel.

The whole touch screen infotainment trend is just another distraction to effective operation of the vehicle on public roads. As if the stoplight delay wasn't already bad enough with idiots eyeballing their phone while the light just turned green for them to go but they're still sitting there for 5 seconds with their head up their read end. The infotainment screen only adds to it. Got to be twiddling some device with a screen, reaching for a Big Gulp soda in the cupholder, stuffing fries in their face, or disciplining their kid(s). This driving thing just interferes with of all that for some people.
 
One should have the ability to conceal the screen. Some early Audi, Rolls Royce and even Mazda models had that ability but now they just slap screens on the dash.
 
Originally Posted by LoneRanger
I think the ones with the screen that sticks up from the instrument panel like an open laptop, for example the new gen 2019 Toyota RAV4... I think that "look" is moronic. Just my opinion. So much cleaner and slicker looking smoothly integrated into the flow of the instrument panel.

The whole touch screen infotainment trend is just another distraction to effective operation of the vehicle on public roads. As if the stoplight delay wasn't already bad enough with idiots eyeballing their phone while the light just turned green for them to go but they're still sitting there for 5 seconds with their head up their read end. The infotainment screen only adds to it. Got to be twiddling some device with a screen, reaching for a Big Gulp soda in the cupholder, stuffing fries in their face, or disciplining their kid(s). This driving thing just interferes with of all that for some people.

Yes, it's more vulgar than most other setups. Even more vulgar than the things you see in Tesla's with the exception of model 3. Nothing is as bad as Model 3.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top