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Tag: car apps

  • Consumers Hungry For More In-Car Tech

    Consumers Hungry For More In-Car Tech

    As this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) demonstrated, tech companies and car manufacturers are both ready to push in-car technology to the next level with 4G connections, monitoring software, and implementation of precursor self-driving technology. Luckily for those companies, it seem that consumers are on the same page and eager for futuristic car technology.

    The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) today revealed new survey data showing that 59% of U.S. car buyers in the past year who are also online stated that in-car technology was important when considering their purchase. A further 42% of consumers said that they will buy some sort of tech device or accessory for their car within the next year.

    Most of these technologies, of course, are the sort that have become mundane or usurped by mobile devices. According to the CEA the most popular in-car tech of the last six years has been things such as navigation systems, rearview cameras, remote starters, and entertainment systems. While those product segments have certainly grown in the past few years, consumers are still hungry for something more amazing.

    The CEA survey found that 46% of those surveyed were not fully satisfied with the amount of technology in their vehicle. Around that number (47%) say they are “interested” in using apps designed around use in vehicles. Also popular are in-car devices that allow safer use of mobile devices, making it clear that consumers want to meld their mobile life into their vehicles as they are driving.

  • CES 2014: Chevy Adds 4G Data, Apps to Its Vehicles

    Chevrolet today announced that it will be adding data and an app store to many of its 2015 model vehicles.

    Chevrolet’s “AppShop” will start appearing in the company’s Corvette, Equinox, Impala, Malibu, Volt, and Silverado vehicles this summer. The store will be accessed through a touchscreen in vehicle dashboards. Through it, customers will be able to download a variety of apps including those for music, weather, news, and in-vehicle diagnostics. Specific apps already announced for the AppShop include The Weather Channel, NPR, Slacker Radio, and iHeartRadio.

    “We listen to our customers, and they want more choices like they have with their smartphones,” said Alan Batey, SVP of Global Chevrolet. “They’re telling us they want more integration, more options, and more control in a safe manner. Chevrolet AppShop is an in-vehicle information resource that allows our drivers to customize and refine their experiences from their Chevrolet.”

    To access the AppShop Chevy customers will need to take advantage of the 4G LTE capabilities that Chevy will be putting into these same vehicles. The data will be a part of Chevy’s OnStar service, and customers will have to sign up for a data plan to take advantage of it.

    Chevy is touting its new data offerings and app store as a feature that will save drivers from having to engage with their smartphones while driving. Whether or not a dashboard full of apps is any less distracting than a smartphone, Chevy drivers will soon be able to have a limited app-like experience built into their vehicles.

    “At General Motors, we are trying to minimize driver distractions through the use of technology,” said Phil Abram, chief infotainment officer at GM. “In addition to AppShop, Chevrolet offers features like text-to-voice and smartphone voice pass-through integration to create a safer driving environment.”