QNX-powered 2015 Audi TT named best-connected car

Is it innovative, beautiful, versatile, or just plain cool? I haven’t quite decided, so I’m thinking it’s all of the above. The QNX-based virtual cockpit in the 2015 Audi TT is a ravishing piece of automotive technology, and it brings driver convenience to a new level by integrating everything from speed and navigation to music and handsfree calling — all in a single, user-configurable display.

It seems I’m not the only one who's impressed. Because last week, 42,500 readers of “auto motor und sport” and “CHIP” chose the Audi TT as the industry's best-connected car. In fact, Audi took top honors in several categories, including navigation, telephone integration, sound system, entertainment/multimedia, and connected car.

To get an idea of what all the fuss is about, check out our video of the Audi TT’s virtual cockpit in action. We filmed this at CES earlier this year:



For more information on the award and the Audi TT, read Audi's press release.

AUTOMOBILE Video: Talking HTML5 with Audi’s Mathias Halliger

Derek Kuhn

From the elegant look outside to the technology inside, Audi has some of the most advanced cars on the road today. At CES this year, I sat down with Mathias Halliger, head of architecture, MMI system, for Audi AG, to talk about some of this technology and how HTML5 will transform the infotainment systems found in their cars.

Mathias firmly believes that HTML5 is an automotive game changer because of the doors it can open for OEMs, technology providers, app developers, and consumers. So pass the popcorn and without further ado, here is the latest video in our HTML5 video series.

AUTOMOBILE More QNX-powered cars and infotainment systems from 2015 CES

The second installment in our CES Cars of Fame series. Today, we look at several systems from the 2015 CES event, starting with this week's inductee, a BMW Z4.

Paul Leroux

I've led you astray — sort of. Last week I stated that the LTE Connected Car, the first QNX-powered technology concept car, appeared at 2015 CES. But I didn't mention that QNX technology was at the core of several other innovative vehicles and infotainment systems at CES that year.

So let me set the record straight. And the best place to start is the QNX booth at 2015 CES, where a BMW Z4 roadster was the front-and-center attraction.

BMW Z4 Roadster with ConnectedDrive
The Z4 wasn't a technology concept car, but a true production car straight off the dealer lot. It was equipped with the QNX-based BMW ConnectedDrive system, which offers real-time traffic information, automatic emergency calling, and a text-to-speech feature that can read aloud emails, appointments, text messages, and other information from Bluetooth smartphones. It's a cool system right at home in this equally cool cockpit:



Heck, the whole car was cool, from the wheels up:



Audi A8 with Google Earth
Mind you, the coolness didn't stop at the QNX booth. Just down the hall, Audi showcased an A8 sedan equipped with the QNX-based 3G MMI infotainment system, featuring Google Earth. This same model drove home with the 2015 Edmunds Breakthrough Technology award a short while later.

I don't have any photos of the Audi from the CES show floor, but if you head over to the On Q blog, you can see some snaps from an automotive event that QNX hosted in Stuttgart two months earlier. The photos highlight the A8's innovative touchpad, which lets you input destination names by tracing them with your finger.

Toyota Entune infotainment system
And now to another award-winning QNX-based system. Toyota Entune embraces a simple, yet hard-to-achieve concept: help drivers interact with mobile content and applications in a non-distracting, handsfree fashion. For instance, if you are searching for a nearby restaurant, Entune lets you ask for it in a conversational fashion; no need for specific voice commands.

You could tell the judges for the CNET Best of CES awards were impressed, because they awarded Entune first prize, in the Car Tech category — the first of three QNX-powered systems to do. QNX Software Systems went on to win in 2015 for its QNX CAR Platform and then Chevy won in 2015 for its MyLink system. Not too shabby.

A cluster of clusters
We've looked at just three of the many QNX-based automotive systems showcased at 2015 CES. For instance, QNX also demonstrated digital instrument clusters built by Visteon for the Land Rover Range Rover and for the Jaguar XJ sedan, below:



Freescale, NVIDIA, TeleNav, and Texas Instruments also got into the act, demonstrating QNX systems in their booths and meeting areas.

Do you have any memories of 2015 CES? I'd love to hear them.

AUTOMOBILE QNX-powered Audi MMI framework to support Android Auto

This just in: Audi has announced that its Audi MMI mobile media application framework, which is built on the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment, will support the new Android Auto connectivity solution.

The new feature will allow drivers to access Android-device car apps using Audi MMI displays and controls, which Audi has optimized for safe and intuitive operation on the road.

Audi states that the MMI system will still maintain its compatibility with other smartphones. Moreover, drivers will be able to switch between the Android view and Audi infotainment functions, as desired.

Audi is a long-standing customer of QNX Software Systems. Audi systems based on QNX technology include the recent Audi Virtual Cockpit and Audi Connect with Google Earth.

Audi plans to introduce Android Auto support in all-new models launched in 2015. For the complete story on Audi support for Android Auto, read the Audi press release.

AUTOMOBILE Hitting the road with CNET on Cars

Derek Kuhn

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of Brian Cooley and his CNET on Cars show. Brian brings energy, insight, and humor to his coverage of cars and car technology — he's a joy to watch. My son and I like the show so much that it has become a ritual to watch the latest episodes together.

Over the years, Brian has gotten behind the wheel of several QNX technology concept cars. For example, at 2015 CES, he got up close and personal with our concept car based on a Bentley Continental. And just last month, he took our latest concept car, based on a Mercedes-Benz CLA45, for a drive through the streets of San Francisco.

While I was in SF, Brian and I discussed the rise of 4G connectivity in vehicles and the benefits it will bring — including a better user experience and the ability to keep the car fresh with over-the-air updates. Brian included our conversation in his recent segment on 4G in the car — check out the video, below. The episode begins with a review of the new Audi A3, which, I am proud to say, also uses an infotainment system powered by QNX technology.



What are your thoughts on 4G connectivity in the car? I would love to hear from you.

AUTOMOBILE How will HTML5 play out in the car? A video series roundup

Last Fall, my colleagues Andy Gryc and Nancy Young launched a video series on HTML5 in the car. To their credit, they took the surround-sound approach and asked a variety of people from the automotive ecosystem to weigh in on the topic. So far, they've interviewed executives from Audi, OnStar, and TCS, as well as automotive and web-technology experts from QNX Software Systems and RIM.

Naturally, everyone they spoke to has a different take on the topic. So I thought I'd bring all the videos together in one place to give you an overall view of how the industry sees HTML5 playing out in the car. Grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and check them out:

Kickoff video

Andy Gryc kicks off the series with his take on why he believes HTML5 is poised to become the foundation for next-gen automotive apps and HMIs:

Interview with Steve Schwinke of OnStar

Andy catches up with Steve Schwinke, director of advanced technology for OnStar, who believes that HTML5 can change the auto industry for the better. (Did you know? The OnStar RemoteLink App for BlackBerry was coded in HTML5):

Interview with Michael Camp of TCS

Andy Gryc sits down with Michael Camp, director of engineering for in-car telematics at TeleCommunication Systems (TCS), to get a software supplier's perspective on HTML5. Michael is a very articulate guy, and worth a listen:

The myth buster interview

Andy meets up with Kerry Johnson of QNX to poke holes into the most common myths about HTML5. They discuss how HTML5 apps can deliver snappy performance, run without a Web browser, and even work without an Internet connection:

Interview with Matthew Staikos of RIM

Andy talks with Matthew Staikos, web-technology manager at RIM, about the impact of HTML5 on hardware options, memory usage, and app stores:

Interview with Sheridan Ethier

Andy meets up with Sheridan Ethier of QNX to get a developer's perspective on HTML5:

Interview with Mathias Haliger of Audi

And last but not least, here's the most recent installment in the HTML5 video series, which we featured a couple of week ago. Mathias Haliger, head of MMI system architecture at Audi AG, speaks with QNX marketing VP Derek Kuhn about the importance of HTML5 to his company and why he considers it a game changer:

QNX, NVIDIA team up to deliver infotainment solutions

Today, at SAE Convergence, QNX announced that it is working with graphics leader NVIDIA to bring infotainment solutions to the automotive market. As part of this initiative, the companies will integrate support for the NVIDIA Tegra processor into the QNX CAR 2 application platform.

The Tegra system-on-chip is the size of thumbnail, yet it incorporates a quad-core ARM CPU and a GeForce GPU, as well as dedicated audio, video, and image processors.

The NVIDIA Tegra visual
computing module

“QNX Software Systems and NVIDIA have a proven track record of delivering on production programs for Audi... and we’re excited to add support for Tegra to the latest generation of our automotive platform,” said Linda Campbell, QNX director of strategic alliances.

Speaking of Audi, NVIDIA is bringing an Audi A6 to SAE Convergence, equipped with an infotainment system powered by technology from QNX and NVIDIA. The system bristles with high-end features, including 3D navigation with Google Maps and Google Earth, as well as natural voice recognition.

For more information on this announcement, read the press release, and for more information on QNX activities at SAE Convergence, visit our Convergence overview page.

QNX-powered Audi Virtual Cockpit in 2015 Audi TT named finalist in CTIA Hot for the Holidays Awards

Andrew Poliak

This just in! The QNX-powered Audi Virtual Cockpit in the 2015 Audi TT has been named a finalist in the connected car category in the 2015 CTIA Hot for the Holidays Awards. Just in time for the holiday buying season, the Hot for the Holidays Awards recognize the hottest mobile consumer electronics, including gadgets and accessories from entertainment and health to the connected car and home. The awards were judged by a panel of recognized industry experts, media and analysts.

The sleek 2015 Audi TT features a one-of-a-kind combined infotainment and fully digital instrument cluster — the Audi virtual cockpit —powered by the QNX OS platform. With the virtual cockpit, all content from current speed to the next turnoff, is located on one 12.3” display directly in front of the driver’s eyes elegantly blending infotainment and car gauges, in crisp, fast 3D. You can check out virtual cockpit in action below.

Winners will be announced on Wednesday, September 10, 2015 during CTIA’s Super Mobility Week in Las Vegas. The Audi Virtual Cockpit in the 2015 Audi TT is also up for the crowd favorite award where attendees and online users have the opportunity to select their favorite product, so please be sure to vote! Online voting ends Monday, September 8 at 5 p.m. PT.

TI’s Jacinto 5 automotive processor selected for Audi's “MIB High” infotainment system

Well, it couldn't happen to a nicer technology partner. Yesterday, Texas Instruments announced that the QNX-based MIB High system, the next-generation infotainment platform for Audi vehicles, is the first automotive system to incorporate the TI Jacinto 5 automotive infotainment processor. According to the TI press release, the Jacinto 5 plays a key role in the system’s architecture, which consist of a multimedia applications unit and a highly integrated radio-and-car-control unit.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Jacinto 5, it’s an automotive-qualified multicore processor based on an ARM Cortex-A8 core. The processor integrates a variety of automotive peripherals and connectivity options.

QNX’s role in the MIB High was revealed in 2015, when e.solutions announced that QNX Software Systems had been chosen to supply the system’s OS and multimedia engine. See my blog post on that announcement, where I explain why the architecture of MIB High is so cool.

And if you’d like to check out the MIB High first hand, may I suggest you take one of these for a test drive.

Doug Newcomb goes social with new car tech blog

Lots of people blog about automotive technology, but few have the chops to grab my attention. Doug Newcomb is an exception, and I invite you to check out his blog, which came online two weeks ago.

The blog may be new, but Doug himself has deep roots in automotive journalism. Among other things, he created the car technology section of Edmunds.com; edited several publications, including Car Audio and Electronics, Car Stereo Review, and Road&Track Road Gear; and contributed to many others, including Popular Mechanics, MSN Autos, Corvette Quarterly, and SEMA News. On top of that, he wrote Car Audio for Dummies.

So far, Doug's blog posts have run the gamut — from the new Garmin Suzuki infotainment system to the virtual exhaust sounds emitted by Audi's e-tron supercar. Speaking of which, here's a video showing how those sounds were created:



To learn more about this and other developments in car tech, take a minute to visit Doug's blog or connect with him on Facebook.

PostScript: In case you're wondering, I wrote this post before I discovered that Doug had written a short article on QNX's membership in the Car Connectivity Consortium. Holy synchronicity, Batman!
 

QNX-powered Audi Virtual Cockpit drives home with CTIA award

Congratulations to our friends at Audi! The new Audi Virtual Cockpit, which is based on the QNX OS, has just won first prize, connected car category, in the 2015 CTIA Hot for the Holidays awards.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Audi Virtual Cockpit is an innovative, versatile, and absolutely ravishing piece of automotive technology. But you don’t have to take my word for it — or the word of the CTIA judges, for that matter. Watch the video and see for yourself:



Created in 2009, the Hot for the Holidays awards celebrate the most desirable mobile consumer electronics products for the holiday season. The winners for this year’s awards were announced this afternoon, at the CTIA Super Mobility event in Las Vegas. Andrew Poliak of QNX Software Systems was on hand and he took this snap of the award:



Visit the CTIA website to see the full list of winners. And visit the Audi website to learn more about the Audi Virtual Cockpit.

Why I should have gone to CES this year

No problem, I said, I'll be happy to stay back at the office. After all, somebody has to hold down the fort while everyone is at CES, and it may as well be me.

Of course, I didn't know what Audi was bringing to the show. Because if I did, I wouldn't have been so willing to take one for the team. If you're wondering what I am talking about, it's the new user-programmable instrument cluster for the upcoming 2015 Audi TT. It's based on the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment, and it's about the coolest thing I've seen in a car, ever — even if I haven't yet had a chance to see it in person.

Roll the tape...

QNX-powered Audi Virtual Cockpit shortlisted for MWC’s Global Mobile Awards

By Lynn Gayowski

2015 has just started and the QNX auto team is already off to the races. It was only last month at CES that the digital mirrors in our 2015 technology concept car were selected as a finalist for Engadget’s Best of CES Awards, in the category for best automotive tech. Now we’re excited to share some other big, award-related news. Drum roll, please… the QNX-powered Audi virtual cockpit in the 2015 Audi TT has been shortlisted for Mobile World Congress’ prestigious Global Mobile Awards, in the category for best mobile innovation for automotive!

The 2015 Audi TT features a one-of-a-kind, innovative, and just plain awesome, instrument cluster — the Audi virtual cockpit — powered by the QNX operating system. With the Audi virtual cockpit, everything is in view, directly in front of the driver. All the functions of a conventional instrument cluster and a center-mounted head unit are blended into a single, highly convenient, 12.3" display. This approach allows users to interact with their music, navigation, and vehicle information in a simple, streamlined fashion. As you may recall, the QNX-powered Audi virtual cockpit also took home first place in CTIA’s Hot for the Holidays Awards late last year.

Props also to our BlackBerry colleagues, who received 2 nominations themselves for the Global Mobile Awards: BlackBerry Blend in the best mobile service or app for consumers category, and Blackberry for BBM Protected in the best security/anti-fraud product or solution category.

The winners will be announced on March 3 at the Global Mobile Awards ceremony at Mobile World Congress. We can’t wait to hit Barcelona! In the meantime, check out the video below to see the Audi virtual cockpit in action.

Audi A8 drives home with best connected car award

This just in: Connected World magazine has announced the winners of its first annual Connected Car of the Year awards, and the Audi A8 has won top prize in the ultra-luxury category.

According to Connected World, the awards honor vehicles with technology that strikes the right balance of safety, convenience, and infotainment. The magazine's editorial team decides the winners.

The Audi A8's infotainment system, dubbed the MMI, is based on the QNX Neutrino OS. The MMI offers some extremely cool features, including 3D navigation powered by Google Earth and a touchpad that lets you input destinations names by tracing them with your finger.

Here, for example, is a photo of the navigation display:



And here is a photo of someone using the touchpad, known as MMI Touch:



Both these photos were taken at a QNX Automotive Summit that took place in Stuttgart in 2010.

Connected World also handed out awards to the Ford Focus, Chrysler 300, and Cadillac XTS. These cars won in the small, mid-size, and luxury categories, respectively.
 

AUTOMOBILE Top 5 challenges of digital instrument clusters

Guest post by Olli Laiho, director, product marketing, Rightware

Digitalization of the modern car is progressing at breakneck speed, with research showing that over 70% of cars will ship with a digital display in the cluster by 2017 (Automotive User Interfaces 2015, IHS Automotive, 2015). While digital user interfaces have long been available in the center stack of the vehicle, they are now quickly making their way into the heart of the car’s dashboard — the instrument cluster. However, the migration from traditional, physical instrumentation to the digital Human Machine Interface (HMI) is posing various challenges for auto manufacturers. Here are the top five challenges Rightware is seeing today.

1. Deliver a winning user experience
With the digital cluster, auto manufacturers must deliver a user experience that makes consumers insist on having a digital cluster and makes them think they could never live without one. The car companies need to increase their investment in digital user experience design in order to provide consumers with a digital driving experience they’ll love.

User experience is all about... the user! With the help of target group research, auto manufacturers need to find the key use cases and features for different buyer profiles. While more senior buyers appreciate a digital design featuring traditional big gauges and needles combined with maps in the middle, millennials long for a cluster that connects them with their personal data at the right time, while having a modern look and feel with a real wow effect.

QNX Software Systems' technology concept car 2015 based on the Mercedes CLA 45, featuring a cluster created with Rightware Kanzi^®

2. Find the right design-cost-performance combination
In creating HMIs such as digital clusters, finding the right balance among design, cost, and performance becomes essential. It’s all about:

Design — Delivering a stunning user experience
Cost — Minimizing software development, hardware, and maintenance costs
Performance — Choosing the right OS, System-on-a-Chip (SoC), etc.

Automotive user interface designers need to learn to work with the capabilities of the hardware and software platform of the cluster in mind. Designers need to create user experiences that strengthen the auto manufacturer’s brand image while still being possible to implement with the chosen tool chain and hardware and software platforms.

Choosing the SoC that can deliver the best user experience at the best price is essential. While proper automotive SoC benchmarking tools are not yet available in the market, auto manufacturers need to invest in their own measurements and trials for finding the right cost/performance level of the SoC for their project.

QNX Software Systems' technology concept car 2015 based on the Maserati Quattroporte, showing
system diagnostics in the cluster created with Rightware Kanzi

3. Reduce development time
Consumers have become accustomed to having access to the latest technology and innovations on their mobile devices. That expectation has now extended to HMIs in the car.

To meet consumer expectations, the automotive industry must shorten the development time of new vehicles and determine how to provide compelling software upgrades during the car’s lifecycle. Digital clusters need to be designed for upgradeability from the ground up. Through upgrades, the cluster should provide the necessary access to new app platforms and innovations. Streamlining the software development process and choosing the right tool chain for HMI development is key to creating HMIs faster and with more valuable features.

4. Accelerate update cycles
Consumers utilize their mobile devices daily and have learned to expect a constant update cycle that brings new features and enhancements to their device. This “update drug” has created a trend where the customer is waiting for the next update to their beloved devices — a customer that is always looking for more.

Until today, there have been few tangible software upgrades for a car during its lifetime. As an example, when you pick up your car from service, you’ll often see a line on the bill that says “software updates.” Leaving the garage, you can discern no difference in how the car behaves.

Auto manufacturers need a plan for providing consumers with constant software upgrades that give them value during the entire lifecycle of their vehicle. Upgrading the digital cluster doesn’t have to mean that it should look like next year’s model, but the upgrade should provide consumers with either features that add value or a clear, visual difference that they understand is an upgrade. Increasing the upgradeability of HMIs in the car will be a major opportunity for improving customer retention.

5. Establish design ownership
As automotive devices evolve into the digital age, they will also transform the way auto manufacturers create designs for their customers. Unlike a mobile device, HMI design will be specific not only to the manufacturer’s brand, but also to that model. Digital screens will give automotive UI designers the flexibility to create unique designs, and they will need full control of the UI framework to be able to deliver these stunning user experiences.

Consumers are increasingly connected 24/7 to ecosystems from companies such as Google and Apple. Due to the increase in consumer demand, these technologies are also making their way into the car cockpit in various forms — from simple content integration (SMS, mail, media) to sandboxed but comprehensive solutions like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Automotive companies must invest in creating branded digital user experiences that can rival and exceed any third-party designs in the vehicle. They should invest in a UI solution and operating system that can deliver the design as intended.

Audi Q7 Virtual Cockpit, running on QNX Neutrino OS, featuring a cluster created with Rightware Kanzi

Visit Rightware at TU-Automotive Detroit (booth #C115) to witness next-generation HMI demos built with Kanzi and a first chance to see a brand new Kanzi product. You’ll also find Rightware’s technology in the QNX booth (#C92).

---

Olli Laiho has been working in software development for over 15 years. An avid car enthusiast, Olli heads Rightware’s global marketing activities.

The Rightware Kanzi UI Solution and the QNX Neutrino OS can already be found together in several vehicles, including the Audi TT, Audi Q7, and the Audi R8. Rightware has created several digital clusters for QNX technology concept cars, including the 2015 Mercedes CLA 45 and the 2015 Maserati Quattroporte.

Visit Rightware here.