Few car components have been vilified more than the MyFord Touch infotainment system, but word is floating about that the Blue-Oval may be switching its gameplan, ditching its Microsoft based platform for one powered by BlackBerry’s QNX.
If you’ve heard anything about Blackberry over the past few years, chances are it wasn’t good news. But as they say, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
Ford’s rumored switch may actually be just what the brand needs. Surveys have shown that Ford’s adoption of high-tech interfaces in its cars has been a big draw for customers. Unfortunately, it’s also been one of the major factors in continuously-low reliability and consumer satisfaction reports. Blackberry could be the answer. Here’s how:
Switching to a QNX based infotainment system in a Ford vehicle will help establish a standard within the automotive industry.You may not know it, but numerous other automakers already use QNX, from BMW and Audi to Volkswagen and Toyota.
With Apps (small applications commonly found on smart-phones and tablets) becoming a popular feature in modern cars, it’s important to have a standard platform for these apps to run on.
If Ford’s systems used the same platform other automakers, then software will likely be usable across all of these automakers’ products. Software developers are always looking to spread their product to as many users as possible, so they’ll love the idea that an app only needs to be developed once in order to work on many ranges of vehicles thanks to a standard QNX based infotainment platform.
QNX helps integrate your car with your life. One great example is BMW’s ConnectedDrive system, which is QNX based. For example, if you plan out a trip using Google Maps, you can send that information to your BMW, where it will show your route on the main navigation display, instead of having to rely on your smartphone or printed instructions.
Additionally, the system helps bring in many of your smart-phone apps into your car, including email, calendar and social media, allowing you easy access to the office or home wherever you are. One more handy feature of the system is its ability to give you remote control of your vehicle. Lock or unlock the car, turn on the window defrosters or locate the car in a crowded parking lot, just with your smart-phone. It’s all the sort of technology that we expect out of our computers and smart-phones, so why not our cars too?
QNX may not be a household name to you, but that doesn’t mean the company isn’t well respected within the realm of suppliers. The company has excellent partnerships with a number of software and hardware vendors, including folks like Nvidia, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Nokia, Aisin and Nuance. These folks are among the best in the business when it comes to providing excellent user-experiences, something that MyFord Touch isn’t known for.
Nvidia, Texas Instruments and Qualcomm are all strong players in the world of embedded systems. Nvidia is known for its impressive video-rendering capabilities while Qualcomm processors are found powering many smart-phones on the market. Nokia owns a company called HERE, which provides navigation data for use in cars. Four out of five in-car systems on the road in the US and Europe use data provided by HERE. Aisin is a supplier well known for transmissions but also dabbles in the world of infotainment, providing navigation information for the Japanese market. Finally, there’s Nuance which provides excellent voice-recognition technology, the most popular of which is used in Apple’s Siri personal assistant.
All of these vendors and suppliers have partnered with QNX in the past and when used together could provide some of the easier to use and most responsive infotainment systems in the automotive industry, like the QNX Concept Car that was shown off at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show. Think of how far BMW’s iDrive system has come – thanks in part to a QNX system cooperating with these technology vendors.
Some people don’t see the need for an infotainment system in the car, especially when there’s such a powerful little computer in everyone’s pocket in the form of a smartphone. The dream is to mirror the function of your smart-phone on your car’s main display. That dream is in the process of being realized, thanks to something called the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) and MirrorLink. The CCC is a group dedicated to bringing a global standard for phone-centric car connectivity.
MirrorLink is the first technology standard created that can control a smartphone from a car’s steering wheel or dashboard buttons and screens. The technology leverages a vehicle’s controls and displays to give consumers access to their smartphone apps while driving, allowing them to be connected and responsible at the same time. Honda currently offers this kind of connectivity in the new 2014 Honda Civic. By using their iPhones, car buyers don’t have to opt up to get a dedicated navigation package for their new compact car.
Many automakers are part of the CCC, including GM, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Volvo, Mazda, Fiat, Renault and Honda. One name not on the list is Ford. However, quite a few tech-companies are part of the CCC as well, including QNX. This means that vehicles using QNX (including future Ford vehicles) could be capable of MirrorLink functionality as well, giving drivers access to their smart-phone while on the road.
Part of the current MyFord Touch user experience is frustration. Drivers should have a swear-jar nearby as the system is prone to lock-ups, slow-downs, crashes, reboots and overall screwiness – all things that are unacceptable in a consumer technology that costs several thousand dollars. On the other hand, QNX’s mission statement is to create a bullet-proof operating system that won’t break, lag or fumble up. AutoGuide.com editors can barely remember the last time a modern QNX powered infotainment system found in a BMW, VW or GM vehicle gave them a hard time.
QNX even powers the gauge cluster in Jaguar and Land Rover, displays which are constantly being fed data about the car which is critical to the functionality of the vehicle. With virtually no complaints or reports of crashed systems, it’s clear that the QNX platform is built to last.
Compare that to MyFord Touch and, frankly, we’ve lost count of the number of issues we’ve experienced issues. At this point, any switch is certain to be an improvement…