Android Auto and Honda

It seems like everything new coming out has a touch screen incorporated into it somehow, and cars are no exception. Touch screens actually have been a fascinating concept for the automotive industry for quite awhile now, action movies involving cars and technology have often displayed fantastic interfaces for cars. The real world is finally catching up to those spectacular movie car computers. Touch screens first showed up in in cars 1987 as a novelty before they were realistically viable, but now technology has caught up with science fiction and soon touch screens will be as streamlined as today’s tablets and in every car. Google is looking to kick start that change with Android Auto in Honda vehicles debuting in the near future.

Given society’s fascination with smartphones and tablets, consumers are used to an intuitive touch screen experiences, and the screens in cars have usually failed to meet this expectation with clunky interfaces and limited functionality. Many touch screens currently offered by automotive manufacturers are serviceable, offering GPS navigation, music playback and management, and Bluetooth hands free calling, but we now know how much a touch screen interface is capable of. Touch screens in cars that used to be looked at as premium and novel are now old technology when compared to tablets. Google and Apple are planning on bridging the gap in the near future and Android Auto will be coming to all Honda vehicles. Android Auto debuted recently at Google’s I/O  Conference and has both the technological and automotive worlds very excited.

Details are not yet known about a specific release date for the system but Android Auto will  be rolling out to Honda and a select group of other automotive manufacturers soon, what we do know about are the features. The point of Android Auto is to bridge the gap between our cars and the rest of our technologically united lives. The system will unite with the physical controls present in the new cars, there will be a button for issuing voice commands through Google Now  on the steering wheel, with your smartphone through the console. All voice commands have been made very conversational to make issuing them as simple as possible for the driver so that they can remain focused on the road. Google Maps has been simplified to its most streamlined form to offer the an intuitive and fast interface while still capturing the apps complete functionality. The system will also support setting reminders using voice commands that will transfer to your phone so you’ll be alerted even if you’re away from your vehicle. These are just a few of the features that Android Auto and Honda will offer to bring our transportation into the fold with the rest of our lives.

There’s a huge amount of potential in these new innovations that will raise the appeal of the new tech in cars tremendously. A tablet-like system seems like the perfect companion for a vehicle for so many reasons including functionally, diagnostically and for entertainment. Now that developers are aware of Android Auto, the possibilities are endless. So, what new possibilities and innovations are you most excited about? Post in the replies below.