Android Auto Adds Zoom to UX, Society’s End is Near

In what is surely the final blow to any semblance of work/life balance, Google has added WebEx and Zoom meeting functionality to its Android Auto suite of services.

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QOTD: What Else Should Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Add?

Porsche is adding some neat features to its smartphone-mirroring systems -- which has me wondering, what else can be added?

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Honda Promises CarPlay, Android Auto on 2024 Prologue

Honda says their first volume electric vehicle, the Prologue, will play nicely with wireless Google built-in plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Why are we mentioning a seemingly trivial item? Because alert readers know Prologue is baked using General Motors ingredients – and GM recently indicated it plans to swear off smartphone integration in favor of its own interface.

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Opinion: More Automakers Will Dump Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

If you’re someone who follows automotive trends, you’ve undoubtedly noticed just how much effort is going into infotainment screens and features associated with connectivity. This is because auto manufacturers believe leveraging consumer data in a manner similar to tech companies (e.g. Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet) will yield oodles of cash. However, this is also why we’ve started seeing businesses dumping things like Apple CarPlay from their vehicles and some of us have a sneaking suspicion this practice will continue.

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GM Blunders So Badly We Thought It Was an April Fool's Joke

General Motors has done something that I think might be a bit dumb. It also had me checking the calendar to make sure it was for real.

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BMW i4s Shipping With Apple CarPlay, Android Auto After All

Earlier reports that the BMW i4 would ship without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, with the smartphone-mirroring systems set to be installed via over-the-air updates at a later time, appear to be incorrect.

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Electrify America Enables Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

EV drivers, take note — if you use Electrify America’s app to find chargers, the app will soon have support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

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Piston Slap: Single DIN + Multiple Options = Serious Improvement for Cheap?
Ted writes:In your suggested fixes to a 200,000-mile BMW, you mentioned better aftermarket radios. That got me interested! I’m buying a 1989 Porsche 944 turbo with about 10 problems and the radio ain’t one. (The price? 6,500 Canuckian pesos!)As I fix it up for my own long-term use, however, I want to understand the options and the pros and cons of replacing the “meh” Kenwood unit that one of the nine (!) previous owners put in there.Can you do a kind of buyer’s guide for aftermarket radios with Bluetooth capabilities and/or smartphone integration? Currently I use Waze on my phone, which is clipped to the air vents with a small Kenu phone mount, and an aux cable. It works fine; I’d like to have fewer cables and better power to the phone, but this is a frivolous and fun upgrade for me. Maybe a low-cost option and an “all the features” option would be two options for most.
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Google Maps Finally Tracking Speed Limits, Speed Traps

The next time you use Google Maps to plan a road trip, you might notice some changes. Maps is now providing live updates on posted speed limits across the United States. Previously, this feature was only available in San Francisco. However, other parts of the country started seeing the feature crop up late last week as Google updated local servers.

This author saw changes on the app as early as January 18th. Travelling a bit too far from major metropolitan hubs or major highways has proven coverage has not yet gone nationwide. Google says it hopes to soon remedy that by implementing the service across the United States, United Kingdom, and select parts of mainland Europe. Of course, if you don’t want to wait, Waze (also owned by Google) has had this feature available for years, and remains the more robust navigation platform.

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Better Late Than Never: 2018 Mazda 6 Gets Free Tech Upgrade

Mazda is upgrading the infotainment system of the 2018 Mazda 6 with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Starting in September, the company will even allow owners who purchased one earlier in the year bring their vehicle into the dealership and have it upgraded, free of charge.

While that’s incredibly kind of them, there’s a catch. You have to own the Touring trim or above. If you bought a lesser Mazda 6, you’ll be out left out in the cold. But the automaker previously said it wouldn’t include the popular phone integration setup until 2019, making this a nice gesture. The 2019 CX-9 is supposed to be the first vehicle to see Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard equipment, though we’ve also heard Mazda talking about future dealer upgrades for all models equipped with Mazda Connect for a small fee in other parts of the world.

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Android Auto Is About to Get a New Look - Many of Them, Actually

Over spring break, my family went skiing in Breckenridge. We flew into Denver and drove the rest of the way to get there, saving a bunch of money and giving me the exciting chance to pilot a top-of-the-line Cadillac Escalade. The first thing I did after getting into the car was connect my phone so I could hijack the big touchscreen and have my own Google Maps for navigation.

Switching back and forth from Android Auto to the native Cadillac Cue experience could best be described as jarring. Two different worldviews of design, coexisting poorly. Different icons. Different visual styles. Different everything. You may enjoy my Strangelovian rant from 2014 when Google first introduced Android Auto.

With that in mind, Google I/O, Google’s annual developer conference at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, is in full swing.

So what’s new with respect to Android Auto? Customization.

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Honda Lifts Cover Off Updated Accord, Now With Apple CarPlay

Honda unveiled its refreshed mid-sized sedan on Thursday, complete with facelift and available 19-inch wheels on the Acura Accord.

The new car also sports updated technology, including Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto systems and a 7-inch touchscreen on EX and higher trims.

The Accord will continue to use its 2.4-liter four and 3.6-liter V-6 engines.

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Google Wades Carefully Into Connected-Vehicle Waters With Android Auto

Though Google’s Android OS may be awash with numerous apps, Android Auto goes for a more limited approach in the name of traffic safety.

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Android Auto Latest With Difficulty Over Saying Hyundai's Name

How does one pronounce Hyundai’s name? Does it rhyme with “Sunday,” or with “fungi”? Google’s Android Auto on the 2015 Sonata isn’t so sure, either.

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2016 Chevrolet Volt On Sale In California, Google, Apple Systems Coming This Summer

California consumers will be the first to buy the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, which will have Google’s and Apple’s infotainment systems beginning this summer.

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  • MaintenanceCosts Why?
  • 28-Cars-Later So here's the headline between the lines, dealers are worried the Federal government isn't going to pay them in a reasonable timeframe (or perhaps not at all ?) and it will create cashflow problems. This is through the looking glass stuff.
  • SCE to AUX "scheme" appears 5 times in this story. We get it.I don't understand the concern. Many, many EV credits have passed to dealers/mfrs in the decade since since Cash For Clunkers, and did so for leased EVs. I've leased two EVs, and the Federal subsidy went straight to the mfr - not me. The dealer took that figure off the sale price.You'd think the dealers (especially Nissan) had never seen this before - how ridiculous.Tell you what, dealers - advise your mfrs you'd rather not take the risk, and see how that goes.
  • Crtfour It's Ford...how long before the first recall?
  • Oberkanone You get a workout driving an Opel GT compared to driving experience of today. No power steering, manual transmission, and just getting into and out of the car requires extreme physical flexibility. I favor the Saab Sonett III over the Opel GT. If I'm buying a tiny two seat 1972 odd car I'm going all in.