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QNX Platform Demos Its Car 2 Application Platform
[January 12, 2012]

QNX Platform Demos Its Car 2 Application Platform


Jan 12, 2012 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- HTML5 represents the future of the connected car, and QNX Software Systems Limited has demonstrated how the latest generation of its automotive software will bring that future to reality.

In a release, the Company noted details of QNX CAR2: Enter the QNX Car 2 application platform, a solution that will allow automotive developers to harness the rich user experience of HTML5 on a software foundation for millions of vehicles. Designed to enable rapid development of in-car infotainment systems, the QNX Car 2 application platform introduces a new, auto-centric HTML5 framework and is the result of QNX Software Systems' experience in creating software platforms for the world's automakers.



Automakers are beginning to embrace HTML5, and for good reason: It will enable them to keep their vehicles fresh with new content and features, to address consumer demands for the latest mobile apps and services, and to leverage a huge developer community. Moreover, it can help automakers customize the user experience and access to mobile apps.

The QNX Car 2 application platform is designed from the ground up to leverage these benefits. Its auto-centric HTML5 framework allows developers to reskin entire user interfaces - essential to projecting a brand identity for multiple model lines. It also allows them to blend HTML5 applications with those created with Qt, OpenGL ES, and other user interface technologies - all on the same display and even at the same time. This architecture for building a unified user experience enables manufacturers to take a best-of-breed approach when designing their systems and to leverage existing software investments while tapping into the power of HTML5.


"At Audi, we see HTML5 as an essential ingredient for creating the next generation of user experiences in the vehicle," said Mathias Halliger, Head of Architecture, MMI System, Audi AG. "As cars become the new mobile platform, it is increasingly important for automakers to keep pace with the growing array of mobile applications to ensure a rich, customized in-vehicle experience and to offer new features based on the latest technology, such as cloud-based software updates for the car. Support for HTML5 in software platforms such as QNX Car 2 can help automakers achieve this connectivity, quickly and cost effectively." Audi uses QNX software technology in its MIB High infotainment system, which is currently shipping in cars.

According to Thilo Koslowski, Automotive Practice Leader, Gartner, "Successful connected vehicle strategies will be based on the principle of 'controlled openness', which leverages existing standards and flexible architectures to create unique and differentiated customer experiences. HTML5 in particular allows automotive companies to embrace this principle and to create connected vehicle solutions that are upgradeable and can evolve with overall software and technology advancements." In addition to the new HTML framework, the Company noted that the QNX Car 2 application platform pre-integrates an array of technologies, including the QNX Neutrino realtime operating system, a multimedia framework, an acoustic processing library for handsfree systems, and hundreds of software services and utilities. The platform is backed by dozens of ecosystem partners, including companies such as including TeleCommunication Systems (TCS), Texas Instruments, and Vlingo.

With the QNX Car 2 application platform, QNX said that developers can build both browser-based and browser-less applications in HTML5. They can even use HTML5 to build applications that don't require connectivity to the Internet. The platform includes an optimized WebKit-based HTML5 engine that supports audio and video, geo-location, WebSockets, offline applications, session storage, canvas, and other standards, such as CSS3 and JavaScript. Optimizations beyond WebKit include pixel-accurate zooming and high-performance panning (ideal for maps and navigation), physics-based scrolling, and other features.

"The QNX Car 2 application platform is much, much more than a solution for embedding intelligence in the car - it is a platform for achieving the next level of connectivity between the car and mobile devices, between the car and the cloud, and, ultimately, between the car and the consumer," said Derek Kuhn, VP of sales and marketing, QNX Software Systems. "With its auto-centric HTML5 framework, the platform can help automakers create more enjoyable and convenient user experiences, and to connect to the host of HTML5 applications already available on smartphones, tablets, and other platforms." QNX Software Systems Limited, a subsidiary of Research In Motion Limited (RIM), is a vendor of operating systems, development tools, and professional services for connected embedded systems.

Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles.

More Information: www.audiusa.com www.audiusanews.com www.qnx.com ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected]))

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