Google Officially Announces Its In-Car Interface: “Android Auto”

As expected in this previous blog posting, Google has officially unveiled its phone-based in-car interface. The system will run off of motorists’ Android phones, thus a non-permanent, “projected” system. This jump into the phone based in-car interface market will be direct competition for Apple who already has “CarPlay,” a similar unit that runs in a vehicle dashboard off of an Apple device.

According to the official Google Blog, the new “Android Auto allows drivers to, “connect your Android phone to a car with “Android Auto,” and you’ll have what you need at your fingertips such as turn-by-turn navigation from Google Maps, your curated playlists and radio stations through Play Music (and) simple-to-use voice search.”

The push and design is meant to allow drivers to more safely navigate the road. As the official Google blog notes, the “Android Auto” system is theoretically, “far safer than fumbling around for your phone.”Between the increasing competition in the projection interface market and rising government demands for safer roadway travel, this new type of product looks to be both here to stay, and only the beginning of in-car convenience systems. Google has said that these systems will be on the road, “later this year.”