QNX is coming in swinging to CES with two new concept cars based on the Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG and a Kia Soul and a new reference vehicle, based on a Jeep Wrangler. All three sound awesome and Paul over at the QNX blog gave us a great view of the Mercedes model. Check out many more pictures over on Flickr and below together with the press release!
QNX Delivers Power of Choice to Automotive Industry with Broad Range of User Experiences at 2014 CES
Discover new acoustic experiences in the latest QNX technology concept cars; control infotainment and navigation services with ease, using a flexible, multi-modal user interface; try out new cloud services that will transform how consumers, automakers, and dealers interact with vehicles
LAS VEGAS, 2014 International CES (North Hall, Booth 536), January 7, 2014 — QNX Software Systems Limited, a global leader in software platforms for in-car electronics, today is demonstrating how its latest innovations in infotainment, acoustics, and cloud technology offer a potent mix for creating new, user-centric experiences in the vehicle.
The company is demonstrating its innovations in two new technology concept cars — based on a Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG and a Kia Soul — and in its reference vehicle, based on a Jeep Wrangler. The vehicles will showcase the capabilities of the QNX CAR™ Platform for Infotainment, a comprehensive, standards-based solution for creating connected infotainment systems; the QNX® Acoustics portfolio, a suite of patented and patent-pending technologies for active noise control, engine sound enhancement, and ultra high-definition hands-free calling; and new technology that enables the vehicle to become a fully managed citizen of the cloud.
New QNX Technology Concept Car based on a 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG
QNX Software Systems is showcasing its vision of user-centric infotainment systems and digital instrument clusters in a modified Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG. The car’s in-dash infotainment system offers a multi-modal user experience that blends touch, voice, physical buttons, and a multi-function controller, enabling users to interact with the vehicle in the way that is most natural for them. To provide highly accurate voice interaction, the system includes automatic speech recognition from Nuance, which helps the driver stay focused on the road while making a hands-free call or asking the navigation system for directions. And on the subject of navigation, the system offers a choice of navigation engines from Elektrobit, HERE (a Nokia business), and Kotei Informatics, illustrating how automotive companies can quickly customize the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment for multiple geographies and languages.
On the entertainment front, the system includes an Android Jellybean version of iHeartRadio, Clear Channel’s digital radio service, running in a secure application container. Passengers can, as a result, listen to their favorite radio stations from across the country and even create their own custom music stations. The car also showcases smartphone connectivity options such as RealVNC’s MirrorLink™, which supports smartphone-to-vehicle integration over USB, and the Miracast® protocol, which projects auto-relevant smartphone interfaces onto the infotainment system over Wi-Fi®.
The car also features a dynamically reconfigurable digital instrument cluster that can display turn-by-turn directions, notifications of incoming phone calls, video from the car’s front and rear cameras, as well as a tachometer, speedometer, and other virtual instruments. The cluster can even notify you of incoming text messages on your phone; simply push a steering-wheel button, and the system will read the message aloud, so you can keep your eyes on the road.
The technology concept car also showcases how any vehicle can become an endpoint in the Internet of Things. The car integrates with cloud technology from DotLinker, allowing the driver to control select vehicle functions with an HTML-based key-fob application that runs on any smartphone. This technology can also enable secure access of in-vehicle data for cloud-based device management, including deployment of software updates from the automaker or dealer.
QNX Technology Concept Car for Acoustics based on a Kia Soul
With its new technology concept car for acoustics based on a Kia Soul, QNX Software Systems is demonstrating how its portfolio of patented and patent-pending acoustics technologies can deliver superior hands-free calling, active noise control, and engine sound enhancement.
Visitors can experience full-band stereo voice calling, which offers extremely high fidelity by covering the complete frequency range of human hearing. They can also experience wideband audio calls, which extend the bandwidth range of traditional narrowband cellular calls to provide a significant boost in clarity and intelligibility. Narrowband, wideband, and full-band voice calls between the two concept cars will each be demonstrated, showcasing QNX Software Systems’ acoustic echo cancellation and noise reduction technologies for hands-free systems.
The technology concept car for acoustics also showcases the recently announced QNX® Acoustics for Active Noise Control (ANC), an efficient, high-performance alternative to hardware-based ANC solutions that reduces engine noise created by modern fuel-saving techniques. In addition, the car demonstrates engine sound enhancement, which can help automotive companies synthesize signature engine tones that are synchronized to the engine and integrated into the vehicle’s sound system.
QNX Reference Vehicle based on a Jeep Wrangler
The QNX reference vehicle, a modified Jeep Wrangler, demonstrates the off-the-shelf capabilities of the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment. The vehicle’s infotainment system integrates with the digital instrument cluster and offers automatic speech recognition, a Qt-based HMI, Android app support, Elektrobit EB street director navigation, multimedia playback, advanced personalization settings, rear-view camera, and over-the-air (OTA) software updates. The QNX reference vehicle also demonstrates Internet of Things capabilities from IBM that can transmit vehicle sensor data to the cloud, run realtime analytics against it, and use the results for alerts, notifications, and mobile applications.
“QNX takes the complexity out of creating compelling in-car user experiences for automakers and tier one suppliers. We offer the platform, tools, engineering services, and partner ecosystem they need to create intuitive, connected driving experiences and bring differentiated vehicles to market quickly,” stated Derek Kuhn, vice president, sales and marketing, QNX Software Systems. “With our solutions, automakers can offer their customers a controlled but more personalized experience in their vehicles with support for user profiles, connectivity to smartphone platforms, speech interfaces, and cloud management services. This flexibility in implementation also allows our automotive ecosystem partners to localize the in-car experience for automakers targeting global markets.”
Rockwell Collins In-flight Entertainment System
The QNX booth also features the PAVES™ On-demand in-flight entertainment system from Rockwell Collins. This system runs on the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment and lets airlines offer passengers the latest in high-definition video and entertainment applications. The demonstration illustrates how developers can easily adapt the QNX CAR platform for markets with performance and reliability needs similar to those of automotive, while implementing a completely different HMI and user experience.
About the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment
The QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment is based on QNX software technology proven in tens of millions of vehicles around the world. Designed for flexibility, the platform supports a rich choice of application environments (Android™, HTML5, OpenGL® ES, etc.), smartphone platforms (Android, iOS®, BlackBerry®, Windows®), and connectivity standards (Bluetooth®, DLNA®, MirrorLink™, MTP®, USB, Wi-Fi®, etc.). It also provides a comprehensive set of pre-integrated software components to help automotive companies rapidly build connected, custom-branded, media-rich infotainment systems.
About QNX Software Systems
QNX Software Systems Limited, a subsidiary of BlackBerry® Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY; TSX:BB), is a leading vendor of operating systems, automotive software, development tools, and professional services for connected embedded systems. Global leaders such as Audi, Cisco, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, and Siemens depend on QNX technology for vehicle infotainment units, network routers, medical devices, industrial automation systems, security and defense systems, and other mission- or life-critical applications. Founded in 1980, QNX Software Systems is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada; its products are distributed in more than 100 countries worldwide. Visit www.qnx.com follow @QNX_News on Twitter, and visitwww.facebook.com/QNXSoftwareSystems. For updates on the company’s automotive work, follow @QNX_Auto and visitqnxauto.blogspot.com.
