Photo: Jaguar
Remember when smartphones had physical buttons and BlackBerry was the undisputed leader of the gang? That era is long gone, with the first-ever iPhone responsible for the shift towards iOS (and Android from 2008). Even the Canadian phonemaker decided to embrace Android, with BB now a shadow of its former self.
Even though the company is no longer relevant in the smartphone-making business, BlackBerry is gaining traction in the realms of connectivity, self-driving technology, and so forth. A few months ago, the company signed a statement of intent with Baidu for autonomous driving software for the Apollo platform. As part of the tie-up, the Chinese side of the deal will integrate a number of software products into the BlackBerry QNX Car infotainment platform, including CarLife.
This gets us to Jaguar Land Rover, which confirmed that it entered a deal with BlackBerry for QNX and Certicom technologies as part of a “multi-year agreement.” The first collaboration will be the “next-generation infotainment system,” followed by the development of a new Electronic Control Unit module.
The latter is most important for Jaguar, Land Rover, and Range Rover in the years to come. Here’s John Wall, head of BlackBerry QNX: “Connected and autonomous vehicles will react and drive based on rich data,” he said. “Our platforms help process data efficiently and keep it secure and trusted. We are incredibly honored to work with Jaguar Land Rover and look forward to our teams working hand in hand to deliver an enhanced driving experience for their customers."
Although the terms of the agreement are confidential, there’s no denying Jaguar Land Rover needs the know-how of BlackBerry to make advancements in autonomous driving technology. These years are pivotal for automakers both large and small, with Level 5 autonomy expected to roll out by 2025 according to Nvidia.
The question is, will BlackBerry be able to deliver? The company joined Ford in December 2014 to replace the Microsoft operating system in its cars with QNX, and two years later, Ford signed an agreement for expanded use of QNX and security software. So yeah, there's no mistaking that BlackBerry and Jaguar Land Rover is a strong pairing.
This gets us to Jaguar Land Rover, which confirmed that it entered a deal with BlackBerry for QNX and Certicom technologies as part of a “multi-year agreement.” The first collaboration will be the “next-generation infotainment system,” followed by the development of a new Electronic Control Unit module.
The latter is most important for Jaguar, Land Rover, and Range Rover in the years to come. Here’s John Wall, head of BlackBerry QNX: “Connected and autonomous vehicles will react and drive based on rich data,” he said. “Our platforms help process data efficiently and keep it secure and trusted. We are incredibly honored to work with Jaguar Land Rover and look forward to our teams working hand in hand to deliver an enhanced driving experience for their customers."
Although the terms of the agreement are confidential, there’s no denying Jaguar Land Rover needs the know-how of BlackBerry to make advancements in autonomous driving technology. These years are pivotal for automakers both large and small, with Level 5 autonomy expected to roll out by 2025 according to Nvidia.
The question is, will BlackBerry be able to deliver? The company joined Ford in December 2014 to replace the Microsoft operating system in its cars with QNX, and two years later, Ford signed an agreement for expanded use of QNX and security software. So yeah, there's no mistaking that BlackBerry and Jaguar Land Rover is a strong pairing.
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