Quite a few car infotainment systems have been powered by Microsoft in recent years, including units made for BMW, Ford, Fiat, Kia and Nissan. But the software giant is stepping it up a notch with the new "Windows in the Car" Concept unveiled last week.
Similar to Apple's CarPlay, Microsoft's new in-vehicle-infotainment system offers users the ability to connect their smartphones via Mirrorlink to the car and view a projection of the device on the vehicle's display. Mirrorlink is currently supported by Nokia Symbian devices and Sony Xperia Z phones. At the moment, development is backed up by automakers such as Citroen, Volkwswagen, Honda and Toyota, and radio manufacturers Alpine and Pioneer.
Simply put, the system is an in-car extension of the Metro-themed Windows Phone operating system. The user interface features the functionality of latest Windows Phone devices, with access to Maps, Phone, Music and HVAC. Automakers that will adopt this system in the future will be offered support by Microsoft developers in building car-specific apps.
With the production version of Apple's CarPlay just around the corner, Microsoft will most probably launch its product sometime next year. For more info on the subject, you can watch the video demonstration below.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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