This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Mashable as a publication.
In-car apps are officially a thing. Technically, they have been for years, as companies like Ford laid the groundwork with systems like Sync. But now, the key players are involved. Apple announced iOS in the Car in June, and according to a new report, Google and Audi will announce plans to bring Android to vehicles at CES next week.
It's about time. I can't be the only person who relies far more on Google Maps via my phone than my car's own in-car navigation system. Although the system's navigation hardware, complete with a retracting touchscreen, is excellent, the maps are dated and the manufacturer wants to charge me $200 for an upgrade, which must be performed manually via DVD.
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That's ridiculous. I can get better maps and turn-by-turn navigation on my smartphone for free, so I use that instead. However, looking down at a phone while driving isn't just awkward, it's downright dangerous. In-car mounts and other accessories can improve the situation, but you're still stuck with a device not designed for the in-car use, even if some of its apps were.
The ideal solution, of course, is for the phone to connect with the car's system, which then adapts the necessary apps (mostly navigation and audio) for the new environment. Several companies are striving for that simple and obvious idea, but it's tremendously difficult to execute, factoring in the number of parties needed to cooperate and long upgrade cycles of the car business.
Still, let's assume Apple and Google are on top of the issue of backward compatibility and the industry consortiums sort out the not-insignificant logistical problems of who builds what and how to appease all involved. How should Android and iOS in the car work?
First and foremost, it must be seamless. And I mean seamless — that is, you don't have to do a single thing for your in-car system to connect with your phone. As soon as you start your car, both the phone and the system should automatically connect. Bluetooth-enabled cars can already do so to some extent, but that's just the first step. These next-generation systems should bring all the necessary apps revamped and optimized for the dashboard, navigation obviously being the most important.
In a perfect world, it shouldn't matter whether you use maps from Nokia, Google or Apple, as long as the app developer offered a car-compatible version of the service. Whether you're on iOS or Android, you should be able to designate any map app as your in-car navigator, with the phone automatically transferring that app's data to the dashboard. That way, you can begin a journey on foot, and when you get in a vehicle, the map will instantly appear beside your steering wheel or on your heads-up display, switching directions from walking to driving.
This seamlessness should apply to wearables, too. Google Glass works incredibly well as a navigator, but when you're in a car, it makes more sense for your vehicle's systems to take over (particularly in California). The same goes for smartwatches.
For safety reasons, it's a given that voice control will be the default way to interact with your apps in the car, apart from some minimal touch control. Siri and Android voice commands should be automatically enabled in the car, always listening so you don't have to press anything. Through a combination of dedicated voice hardware in the car and creative processor design (such as in the Moto X), having an ever-listening car dashboard tethered to your phone is more than possible.
All video apps must also be disabled while the car is moving, for obvious reasons. Same goes for non-emergency notifications. Fortunately, manufacturers have been building such video-cutoff safety precautions into head units for years, and phone sensors are getting sophisticated enough for the device to know when it's in a moving vehicle.
If the smartphone is a window into your digital world, the car should be a bubble, keeping you safely ensconced inside an augmented version of the reality around you. Only the things that will help you deal with that reality should make it through, casting aside the rest.
I have to give BlackBerry some credit. Although we'll likely never see its vision of in-car apps based on its BlackBerry 10 software, it had the right idea: Your phone as the gateway that brings your digital "presence" into the car. The device in your pocket provides the data, but a carefully composed harmony of hardware and software reinterprets it for the vehicle environment, stuffing it all back in the device as soon as you step out of the vehicle.
Now, Apple and Google are heading toward that same destination. All they must do now is address the problem of rapid obsolescence, provide an easy way for developers to adapt apps for hundreds of different cars and systems, and get an entire industry to agree on new standards. As challenging as all that sounds, making cars truly "smart" has so many advantages over current systems, any company that cracks it will win a lot more than just a race.
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Image: iStockphoto, georgeclerk