RealVNC Automotive - Is this the solution we've waited for?

Darren

Mobile World Congress, Barcelona. We had an opportunity to talk with RealVNC whilst in Barcelona and to get a demo of their latest work on the VNC Automotive solution.

We've covered this product before and it continues to mature and improve. Supported smartphone platforms can connect to an in-dash touchscreen which can then view and control the phone. The benefits are obvious, a large, in-dash screen, control options such as steering wheel mounted buttons, jog dials, better sound etc.

RealVNC gave us a demo and it's fast, responsive and, impressively, it's able to stream video with no discernible lag. Apps such as navigation scale well and safety has been taken into consideration, the API that is used allows some apps to be blocked if the vehicle is in motion.

RealVNC already supports Android, Blackberry and iOS platforms and Sony have committed to including the necessary communication protocols in their Xperia smartphones.

Jaguar and Land Rover are implementing the technology but we now need more automotive manufacturers to commit to supporting it. They are notoriously slow in adopting new technology with glacial lead times between acceptance and availability.

There is everything to like with RealVNC's solution and nothing, apart from availability, to dislike. You get to choose the phone and apps you prefer with all the benefits of a factory fit product. We hope it becomes the standard.

Link: www.RealVNC.com

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Darren Griffin

MikeB · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:27 pm Post subject:

While we were at MWC we managed to grab a video of RealVNC being demonstrated.

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Mike Barrett

W90BHP · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 8:26 am Post subject:

Will there be an aftermarket fit version of this?
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M8TJT · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 8:56 am Post subject:

Big deal. So you get a larger screen for your smartphone. So instead of being distracted by a small screen, you can now be distracted by a large screen Shocked

What else will it do?

MaFt · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:13 am Post subject:

M8TJT · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:38 am Post subject:

AliOnHols · Pocket GPS Verifier Joined: Oct 15, 2008 Posts: 1937

M8TJT · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:56 am Post subject:

What's a 'double DIN' and how big is it?

AliOnHols · Pocket GPS Verifier Joined: Oct 15, 2008 Posts: 1937

According to this, about 100mm x 180mm.
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M8TJT · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 10:36 am Post subject:

I can Google, but just thought that it might have been a good idea to include such details in the OP. After all, is not that what PGPSW reviews are supposed to be about, to save us Googling for stuff?

Darren · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 10:55 am Post subject:

This isn't a review. It's news coverage from a show. It's not meant to be an exhaustive analysis or an in-depth review.

The screen size would depend on which manufacturer takes up the option, which car it was in and a host of other variables. The unit in the pics is a demo to show the tech, nothing more.
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Darren Griffin

M8TJT · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:15 am Post subject:

Ah, I see

martinwinlow · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 15, 2005 Posts: 11

Why no wifi connectivity?

Darren · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:34 am Post subject:

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