Android You Can Drive My Car: Google Teaming Up with GM
Wouldn’t it be great if you could unlock your doors, start your car, and sync your car’s GPS system to Google Maps all from your Android handset? So does General Motors, and that is exactly why they are currently mulling over the idea with Google. A report at Motor Trend says GM is in negotiations with Google to use Android as the basis of their own in-car computer system similar to Ford and Microsoft’s Sync. It, of course, would one-up Sync in many areas, allowing functions such as keyless entry and remote start to be triggered from your handset.
This would also mean an in-dash version of Google Maps and Navigation, all but eliminating the need for car docks or other GPS devices (including GM’s current OnStar navigation). The possibilities are really quite endless. Aside from directly syncing your media and phonebook for hands free calling, imagine apps that let you directly link to your car’s ECU to monitor vitals such as horsepower and torque or to track and graph fuel economy.
Of course, the deal would be strictly with GM, but we can hope the tech would make its way to third-party installs for use in domestic and foreign cars alike. I know a huge community of auto-buffs who would love a device like this to let them tweak the emissions-handicapped ECUs and unleash their car’s full potential.
[Motor Trend via Android and Me]