Saab Goes Android for their IQon In-Car Infotainment System
Time and time again we have seen car audio manufacturers attempt to shoehorn Android onto in-dash entertainment consoles with typically bland results. It is a concept we have praised and see as having high potential for Android in the future, but no one has quite got it right just yet. Enter Saab and their newly introduced IQon in-car Infotainment system using Android. Via an 8-inch touchscreen, a driver or passenger can browse media and music stored on the device or streaming from the web, but open APIs allow developers to create apps that do even more.
With those APIs, the system can access the cars array of sensors transmitting over 500 different signals relating to the car. These include current speed, location, direction of travel, torque, inside and outside temperature, and more. The platform even allows for direct communication with your Saab dealership for off-site vehicle diagnostics, scheduling maintenance, and performing the installation of software-based car upgrades.
The IQon system won’t be available on the street immediately. It is currently being tested in Saab’s fleet of company cars. Consumers can get a first hand look at the IQon in the new Saab PhoeniX concept being shown off at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
[via SaabsUnited]