Read original story on: The Verge
The new Parrot RNB6 unveiled at CES makes it easy to switch between the competing in-car operating systems such as Google’s Android Auto and Apple’s Carplay. Once your smartphone is connected, all your apps can be pushed to its smart dashboard, which can be integrated into any dumb old cars you have. If anything, it’d be a great compromise for people who want to enjoy the best of both systems.
The past year has witnessed the rise of several new media platforms, with connected car and wearables as the top two standouts that we expect to shine even brighter in the coming year. Head over to our auto trend report to learn the full potential of connected cars, then cap it off with our coverage of the crazy fun Minuum keyboard for smart watches.
Thus concludes our Best of 2014 reviews. Happy Holidays! We’ll see you again soon with our upcoming CES coverage in 2 weeks.
Despite the storm of controversies surrounding its privacy policy and a string of recent PR crisis, Uber still managed to raise an impressive $1.2 billion in funding earlier this month. Last week it was reportedly set to receive up to $600 million investment from China’s Google, Baidu Inc., presumably for its long-rumored expansion into the Asian market. Today Baidu has confirmed its investment.
Why Baidu Wants Uber
The Chinese ride-on-demand market is currently dominated by Kuaidi Dache and Didi Dache, respectively backed by Alibaba and Tencent. Up until this point, Baidu is the only one out of the BAT— Baidu-Alibaba-Tencent, a popular acronym in China denoting their dominance as top Internet companies—that has been holding off on entering the burgeoning market. By bringing in Uber, Baidu would not have to build a ride-hailing app from scratch, but would instead use Uber’s well-built app and mature infrastructure to compete with its rivals.
Additionally, Baidu is most likely hoping that Uber would improve the lukewarm performance of its mobile payment app, Baidu Wallet, so as to compete with Alipay, the formidable digital payment system backed by Alibaba, or even WeChat Wallet, embedded by Tencent in its massively popular messaging app.
Why Uber Needs Baidu More
For Uber, investment from Baidu would mean it might finally be getting the localization it desperately needs to conquer the much-coveted Chinese market. Beijing, for example, only has around 66,000 licensed cabs at service for its vast population of over 20 million. The Alibaba-backed Kuaidi app alone posted online payment revenue of $2 billion over the past year. And Uber could definitely use Baidu’s massive local clout to navigate this huge, yet highly regulated market. One more benefit for Uber is the integration of Baidu Map. Google Map, which Uber currently uses for across all markets, isn’t the best on the market, similar to Apple Map here in the US.
The Bottom Line
Baidu needs Uber as a convenient proxy to make its long-awaited first move in the on-demand car market, just as much as Uber needs Baidu’s local dominance and expertise. The market might already be congested considering the two local apps from formidable rivals have taken off, but with Baidu’s help, Uber’s ride into the Chinese market might just get significantly less bumpy.
Photo courtesy of Uber
Keep watching ipglab.com as we continue to cover CES 2015.
Read original story on: The Verge
Apple will soon allow third-party manufacturers to integrate its Lightning port directly into their Apple accessories. Apple has already opened up the Lightning connection to headphone makers for better audio quality, but it will be very interesting to see what this newfound connectivity can bring to Apple devices in areas like the connected car or the Internet of Things.
Read original story on: Spotify Blog
Earlier today Uber announced a high-profile partnership with Spotify for a deep integration that will make Uber rides more customizable. Starting November 21st, users in ten selected global markets, including New York City and San Francisco, will be able to link their Spotify premium account with their Uber profile, set a playlist for the ride, and wirelessly control the music from either the Uber or Spotify apps during the trip. Support for podcasts are also hinted at in leaked app images.
This partnership signals Uber’s first official entry into connected car, which, if proven successful, could potentially open up new opportunities for on-the-go, hyperlocal marketing,
We’re excited about the emerging Connected Car space — it should be a big part of tech life in 2015. One of our favorite players in the space is Mojio. The app platform just released their Connected Car platform, which plugs into most cars built after 1996. The product interfaces via Mojio’s partnership with AT&T (US) and Telus (Canada), and provides valuable data and a totally new driving experience. Mojio just released its consumer platform this week on Amazon, and is already getting rave reviews.
Won’t I have to buy a new car to get it Connected?
You could! New cars are fun. But for the hundreds of millions of vehicles already on the road, connectivity is still possible. The solution is the onboard diagnostic port (OBD-II), which exists on most models made after 1996. Historically used by mechanics, a slew of apps are interfacing with it via Bluetooth or network dongles. This provides crucial information on diagnostics, distance, speed, location, fuel economy and other telemetric data. Your hatchback won’t be able to drive itself, but — call it the Quantified Car — this new technology will revolutionize the way drivers interact with their car.
What does Mojio plan to bring to the emerging Connected Car ecosystem?
Just released for consumers, Mojio can do all of the above, but also functions as a platform for developers. Richard Woodruff, Vice President of Business Development at Mojio, explains the vision: “Our mission,” he says, “is to be the ubiquitous application and service platform for the Connected Car.” The solution is an open “app store” for automotive tech. Richard thinks that automotive manufacturers will be reluctant to open their platforms, so it will be up to a third-party like Mojio to forge a standard.
What kind of opportunities does Mojio offer for advertisers?
The platform communicates with the user when it’s most relevant — and only then. “You don’t have to engage proactively with the applications,” says Richard. “You could! But Mojio enables the development of apps that engage only when you need to know something.” That strategy dovetails with Mojio’s partnership with advertising platform Kiip. Through Kiip’s “Rewarding Moments,” driving triggers random rewards. Example: if you drive, the app could send an offer for a free cup of coffee in the vicinity of the vehicle. It’s not a distraction, and could be a boon for conversion on-the-go.
Picture from @ChevyTrucks on Twitter
Every year Chevrolet gifts a new car to the MVP at the World Series. This year, however, an Internet meme was born out of an unexpected gaffe during the televised handover ceremony, as a nervous Chevy spokesman stumbled through his speech and described the new features of the 2015 Chevy Colorado as “class-winning and leading, um, you know, technology and stuff “.
While he did at least manage to point out the new truck comes with “WiFi powered by OnStar, sitting there on the screen”, the speech was unintentionally funny for all its awkwardness. Naturally, “#ChevyGuy,” “#TechnologyAndStuff” were among the top 10 national trending topics on Twitter within an hour. Besides the relatable nerves brought by public speaking, one crucial reason behind such instant virality is that the vaguely defined “technology and stuff” description struck a cord with US consumers, who are just as confused about the technological capabilities of connected cars as the Chevy Guy.
Unlike previous TechWrecks, however, Chevy quickly turned the situation around by embracing the “technology and stuff” line with a hashtag on Twitter and made it a campaign tagline, creating a very effective impromptu viral campaign. To avoid future mishap like this, though, automakers must do a better job at familiarizing the consumers with all the “stuff” connected cars have to offer. After all, no one wants to buy something they don’t understand.
For more in-depth analysis on the present and future of connected cars, stay tuned for our upcoming white paper.
Earlier today, Tesla Motors’ CEO Elon Musk introduced a new dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version of its existing Model S sedan. More than just an update, the new D series features an autopilot program. Not to be confused with Google’s autonomous cars, this feature deploys embedded radars, cameras and sonar to create “a protective cocoon” aimed at warning of impending collisions. Even more impressively, this driver assist feature is now included at no extra cost on all Model S sedans.
“Connected cars” can benefit car owners in a lot of ways, but in fact, connection can be a double-edged sword. As reported in the New York Times, many subprime borrowers must have their car outfitted with a so-called starter interrupt device. By simply clicking a mouse or tapping a smartphone, lenders can remotely disable the ignition and retain the ultimate control. Moreover, by using the GPS technology on the devices, the lenders can also track the cars’ location and movements. This has led to the subprime boom in car loans, as it offer the lenders more control over their vehicles. It will be interesting to see if such a trend will spread to other businesses dealing with connected devices.
