Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

media.volvocars.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 130 posts

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

#91

Post by gdrulia »

bitmapbrother wrote: post #61
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…

The level of customization an OEM can do is pretty remarkable. This is Android Auto in an Audi Q8 and it looks nothing like Vanilla Android Auto or Carplay for that matter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xf5hVqZHPY

I know this is not what you trying to point to in your comment, but I just watched that video and I'm really surprised at how bad the system is.

Yes it looks completely different, but delay between user action and response is horrific, sometimes over a second and sometimes doesn't even do anything. It's like those cheap Chinese after market systems, that runs poor hardware and just barely works. And all of this in a new 2017 car, imagine this after 5 or 10 years, will be totally useless... Hopefully Volvo will do a better job with usability of the system.

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

#92

Post by robin_reala »

ancorevard wrote: post #79
majormajor wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience is the same. For day to day, bluetooth phone car connection beats Carplay or Android Auto. Wireless autoconnect is key, should've been in the V1 of those standards. I never bother with Carplay for less than a 1 hour trip.

CarPlay connects wirelessly through both Bluetooth and WiFi. I’m enjoying it a lot. Never need to pull my phone out my pocket.

It needs WiFi for a wireless connection, Bluetooth doesn’t have enough bandwidth.

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

#93

Post by balls187 »

partiallypro wrote: post #80
chaostheory wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has already been solved well by both Google and Apple. https://www.android.com/auto/ https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/ This is yet another example of a car company unable to realize that they just don't make good car infotainment dashboards. This will just lead to further fragmentation of the Android ecosystem.

Maybe a dumb question, but do companies often support -both- AndroidAuto and AppleCar play? Or do they do lock-ins and partnerships...because if they lock you in, it really defeats the purpose.

my 2016 VW Golf supports Carplay, AndroidAuto and a 3rd solution (like Miracast but for autos).

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

#94

Post by huhtenberg »

wr909 wrote: post #18
hansjorg wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already have your location, and based on how fast you're moving they know if you're in a vehicle. Based on how you leave that vehicle in a certain spot and come back to it, they already know that's your vehicle.

Who is they? Google or Volvo?

The OP probably implies that everyone carries an Android phone, so they are referring Google.

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

#95

Post by chaostheory »

partiallypro wrote: post #80
chaostheory wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has already been solved well by both Google and Apple. https://www.android.com/auto/ https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/ This is yet another example of a car company unable to realize that they just don't make good car infotainment dashboards. This will just lead to further fragmentation of the Android ecosystem.

Maybe a dumb question, but do companies often support -both- AndroidAuto and AppleCar play? Or do they do lock-ins and partnerships...because if they lock you in, it really defeats the purpose.

Yes Chevys do

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

#96

Post by chaostheory »

nathantotten wrote: post #70
chaostheory wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has already been solved well by both Google and Apple. https://www.android.com/auto/ https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/ This is yet another example of a car company unable to realize that they just don't make good car infotainment dashboards. This will just lead to further fragmentation of the Android ecosystem.

Have you used carplay? It is awful. Takes 30 seconds to start. Crashes frequently, unresponsive often. I don’t necessarily blame apple for this, but they clearly didn’t put strict enough requirements on the hardware that runs CarPlay.

You need a better, stronger lightning cable for your car. Apple OEM cables can’t take the wear and tear in a car. As long as my lightning cable is good, so is CarPlay. You can also go the wireless route as an alternative

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

#97

Post by rorso »

semi-extrinsic wrote: post #49
bravo22 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are absolutely correct. But there is an upshot to this -- modular infotaiment system that you can upgrade every few years.

Which used to be the case also for cars -- we even have a standard, ISO 7736 (aka DIN mount), for car stereos that can be swapped when the consumer wants to upgrade. So in my 2002 el cheapo car, I can buy and install in ~ 15 minutes a 2018 infotainment system with a 7" IPS touch screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Waze, Spotify Connect, all the bells and whistles you can imagine. But of course car manufacturers real…

You can generally get replacement centre console surrounds that add DIN or Double DIN holes to cars that didn't come with it. I've done it to a few cars for friends. Search eBay for your car make/model + "double din". It's not available for every car, but it's available for a lot.

You can also 3D print your own. There's free downloadable models of the DIN slots that you can add to a 3D scan of your cars centre console. Then depending on your car's interior trim, fibreglass it, or trim it in leather/whatever you want. Or you can just buy the DIN/Double DIN housing, dremel out where your stock headunit is embedded, and mould it in. Plenty of people on car forums do this and there's lots of guides online.

Considering the absolutely insane premium prices for sub-par entertainment systems in modern cars, I've personally found the above effort completely worth it.

I'm currently adding a RasPi and 7" touch screen with GPS for Google Maps, 1TB SSD of media, Spotify (via Wifi tether to my phone), USB ports in glovebox for USB sticks of media or charging phones, and more, to a 2012 car that came with an embedded CD/MP3 player with no nav, no screen, and no DIN slot.

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

#98

Post by asfdsfggtfd »

denkmoon wrote: post #83
Arainach wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything in a car has to be certified for safety. Infotainment systems integrate deeply with cars - they consume and expose a lot of information that isn't guaranteed to be expressed over standard protocols, and most of them aren't even in consistent sizes or shapes.

Yet I can buy a double DIN head unit running android auto and just whack it in my 2012 corolla. I think the major problems here aren't safety or engineering, they are purely economic.

There is a difference between can and should. Third party entertainment systems should not be a problem. In reality they are because of bad designs.

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

#99

Post by michaelt »

gregknicholson wrote: post #90
mistrial9 wrote: post #2

Why can I trust a multi-national company to track movements and locations over time of a personal vehicle ?

I genuinely don't understand why cars suddenly have to have tablets built into them. How is this better than just sticking your phone on the dashboard? Is driving so tedious that drivers are crying out to be infotained?

  I genuinely don't understand why cars suddenly
  have to have tablets built into them.
Back in the 1990s, in-dash sat nav was a premium feature only available on high-end cars. The first all-in-one TomTom wasn't introduced until 2004, and before that people in sales were willing to pay a big premium for sat nav, as a business expense.

Hence, car companies _think_ an executive/luxury car needs to have a screen in the dashboard because that's just how it's been for as long as they can remember. And they think putting premium car features in midrange cars makes them more appealing to buyers.

Post reply on HN