Nokia has made further progress in setting the agenda for connecting mobile devices with in-car systems with the announcement of a collaboration deal with Clarion.
The agreement will see Clarion, a well-known vendor of high-end infotainment solutions, develop a smartphone interface to conform to one that Nokia and the Consumer Electronics for Automotive (CE4A) group are proposing as an industry standard. Clarion has also stated that it will build an apps service business for in-car devices based around Nokia's Ovi Store.
This work by Clarion will be based upon Nokia's Terminal Mode initiative that is designed to enable mobile devices and car infotainment systems to work together.
Tatsuhiko Izumi, president of Clarion, said that integrating Terminal Mode technology into in-car information systems would bring the huge number of apps and services available to smartphones to in-car devices. "The integration of in-car devices with smartphones will provide better user experiences for consumers and lead to radical changes in in-car information systems," he said.
By working with Nokia and Navteq, Clarion also noted that it will be able to support services such as intelligent transport systems, advanced driver assistance systems and navigation coordination using Nokia's Ovi Store application.
Nokia, which has already gained widespread support for its Terminal Mode from various automobile makers and car accessory developers--including Alpine--said that the technology was an ideal base for industry innovation, allowing existing and new kinds of services to be extended into the car.
The CE4A-proposed standard would enable drivers to access smartphone apps via a large, fixed screen in the car and use a vehicle's hands-free controls to access them.
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