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Volvo to Use Google Assistant, Play Store and Maps in Next-Gen Infotainment

media.volvocars.com

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Re: Volvo to Use Google Assistant, Play Store and Maps in Next-Gen Infotainment

#21

Post by mrep »

Lio wrote: post #17
mrep wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the opposite for me. I'm switching from an iphone to an android mainly so I can use android auto with google maps support in my new car. Google assistant is the cherry on top. This would be nice though since I would not have to switch phones just to get around apple carplay forcing their garbage maps on me.

You’ll have to excuse me as I don’t have a car with Apple CarPlay but can’t you just use Google Maps with an iPhone in preference to Apple Maps? At least that’s the case for normal iOS use.

Apple carplay and android auto allow you to view windows displayed by your phone on your car screen. While I can use google maps with it and get the voice directions, it does not support displaying the map on my car screen for google maps, only apple maps. I want to be able to quickly look at the physical map on the big screen in my car while driving like so: https://www.google.com/search?q=android+auto+maps&tbm=isch&s...

Re: Volvo to Use Google Assistant, Play Store and Maps in Next-Gen Infotainment

#23

Post by 0x4f3759df »

nimish wrote: post #13

Finally a car manufacturer realizes it can't out-compete a software company at making good software. The reason infotainment sucks so hard is that car companies want to "own the experience" and also want to cut costs, so they underinvest and create poor experiences.

I think there's a larger story, which I'll explain through a personal anecdote. I purchased the Samsung Gear 3 LTE smartwatch because I've always hated how mobile phones get in the way of personal interaction, but then was very disappointed to find out it ran Tizen and not Android Wear, which means no Google Assistant.

So one the one hand you have Google Assistant: great voice recognition and queries against the Google search engine, and on the other hand you have Samsung which doesn't own a search engine and can't compete in the voice search market.

So it looks like Google is going to dominate the entire hands-free computing world (smartwatch, cars, and home assistants)

Google I/O is tomorrow so hopefully they'll announce some Android Wear with LTE and voice assistant.

Re: Volvo to Use Google Assistant, Play Store and Maps in Next-Gen Infotainment

#24

Post by dawnerd »

jasonjayr wrote: post #22

Considering the lifecycle of a car vs an Android device, they better just build in a touch screen w/ a HDMI + USB connection, and let the compute brains get swapped out inexpensively ...

already solved for, just support android auto or carplay and let the consumer decide.

Re: Volvo to Use Google Assistant, Play Store and Maps in Next-Gen Infotainment

#26

Post by izacus »

jasonjayr wrote: post #22

Considering the lifecycle of a car vs an Android device, they better just build in a touch screen w/ a HDMI + USB connection, and let the compute brains get swapped out inexpensively ...

This is literally what Android Auto and CarPlay are.

Re: Volvo to Use Google Assistant, Play Store and Maps in Next-Gen Infotainment

#27

Post by paganel »

chicob wrote: post #16
leowoo91 wrote: post #5

I was thinking about getting a volvo, not a google car, so this is a deal breaker for me.

Anyone with concerns about privacy and thinking about buying a car in Europe should have eCall in mind. An European citizen unwilling to have an embedded system that tracks location, accesses mic and transmit GPS data has three options: burn the SIM card module, buy a pre-April-2018 car or something outside the EU.

By the looks of it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tC_NX5D8AA) the latest Suzuki Jimny still doesn't have a built-in navigation or anything like that, it will probably be on my to-buy-list in 6 or 7 years when (and if) I decide to buy a new SH car. I like my cars with a very plain and simple interior, just AC and a basic radio/CD player it's perfect for me.

Re: Volvo to Use Google Assistant, Play Store and Maps in Next-Gen Infotainment

#28

Post by djajshgsjja »

favorited wrote: post #8

It will be interesting to see how useful this will be vs. vanilla Android Auto & CarPlay. I've had CarPlay for the last couple years, and I use it exclusively now. Even for things like radio, I've started using the Sirius app via CarPlay instead of the native radio interface. I don't use built-in navigation either, I just use my phone's on the same head unit. What kind of benefits can the deliver through a tighter in…

If this integration allows you to use Google Maps and CarPlay at the same time, that would be a huge win.

Re: Volvo to Use Google Assistant, Play Store and Maps in Next-Gen Infotainment

#29

Post by Lionsion »

izacus wrote: post #26
jasonjayr wrote: post #22

Considering the lifecycle of a car vs an Android device, they better just build in a touch screen w/ a HDMI + USB connection, and let the compute brains get swapped out inexpensively ...

This is literally what Android Auto and CarPlay are.

>> Considering the lifecycle of a car vs an Android device, they better just build in a touch screen w/ a HDMI + USB connection, and let the compute brains get swapped out inexpensively ...

> This is literally what Android Auto and CarPlay are.

Except less open and less standards compliant?

Re: Volvo to Use Google Assistant, Play Store and Maps in Next-Gen Infotainment

#30

Post by musage »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #7
leowoo91 wrote: post #5

I was thinking about getting a volvo, not a google car, so this is a deal breaker for me.

Can you follow up on that? What if the Volvo, other than Google's involvement, was otherwise the best vehicle for you? Would you get an otherwise worse car, just because of the G stamp on it?

If you had to pick between a mediocre sandwich and a great sandwich, and the great sandwich had a big fat human turd sitting on it, would you still pick it because it's better "other than having a turd sitting on it"? (Mind you, even deluding yourself into thinking of the turd as a "turd stamp", whatever that is, will not change the taste one bit.)
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