At the SEMA show last week, Parrot announced a 3G/WiFi hotspot designed to be included in OEM car radios to bring Internet into the car.
It also distributes 3G service around the car for the passengers. The driver gets access to navigation, music, and some social networking, all served up on Android. And the hotspot permits Bluetooth 3.0 hands free calling.
Parrot says it is “already in discussions and working with several car manufacturers. “We believe in 2011 there will be cars offering this technology in the U.S.,” said VP sales Christian Coly.
He adds, “Everyone knows the mobile phone has become the center of everyone’s universes…we believe that connectivity should be a commodity.”
Parrot’s hotspot (the FC6100 Gateway) will compete with other OEM car-to-smartphone platforms like Terminal Mode and the GENIVI Alliance. Coly says the Parrot hotspot has the advantage of being “very affordable for the OEMs, and it’s based on Parrot’s 15 years of working in connectivity. “The pitch is, we have this module here that will allow the driver and other occupants in the car to have a great smartphone experience, but the cost of the module is very affordable.”
The catch is the user will need to pay 3G service fees.
It’s no longer a secret that the car companies are scrambling to include Internet in their car radios either through a built in modem or through a connection to a smartphone. “It’s the biggest challenge for car manufacturers today,” said Parrot’s Christian Coly.
Source: CEoutlook
I completely agree with Barry Vogel’s comment. It used to be that the specialists were the first to introduce any new technology and the OEM’s followed at least six months later. That trend has turned 180 degrees and the specialists barely get an opportunity to do anything in new vehicles any more.
What a shame that we are essentially left to handle older vehicles until those opportunities run out and so too will the specialists as the pie quickly diminishes.
found your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later
How nice that another aftermarket manufacturer is bypassing the specialist. If we disappear,so do you.