Can already do some of this, though not as integrated - an OBD2 to bluetooth adapter plugged into the OBD2 port and Torque running on an Android phone. I don't like the idea of tying something that will obsolete so quickly (an Android device) to a car, though - look how badly supported 2 or 3 year old Android devices are. Are ones in cars going to be supported any better? I'd rather a standard dock so that a smart phone can be slid in, held in position securely (not a stupid suction cup on the windshield), get access to power, OBD2 data, audio, steering wheel audio remote controls, and a GPS aerial (given it won't be under the windshield anymore)
I'm somewhat surprised (or perhaps I shouldn't be) at the generally negative tone of the replies here so far. Maybe this specific project isn't the winner or the exact right idea, but I am _extremely_ bullish on the basic idea of getting car nav / "infotainment" systems all running a common OS (be it Android or iOS).<p>I think it is an absurd inefficiency and possibly one of the most anti-DRY things out there that nearly every manufacturer has its own totally-different way of doing things on the HUD. Every radio operates differently, nav systems have varying degrees of quality, and overall the UX is about 50 shades of crap :) Reminds me of the days when every phone manufacturer had a different os -- and we see how well that worked out for everyone.<p>I think the future of automotive UI rests on the adoption of a standard os. Though I'm partial to iOS on my own phone, I'm happy to see either iOS or Android in our cars (or both).<p>Imagine this: You get in your car -- the UI is familiar and comfortable (though adapted for automotive use). You have access to your music library (sync'd from iCloud) instantly, you get your choice of GPS apps (Waze, Google Maps, Apple Maps -- lol, sorry just kidding), you can use radio services like Pandora or Spotify, etc. And yes, the manufacturer will have to make a custom app for the "manual stuff" like air conditioning controls, etc., but that's still a lot better than essentially having to reinvent the whole os.<p>Anyway, you get the idea. I'm very excited about this stuff and am fairly confident it's the way things are going. Whether or not this specific project is a winner is somewhat irrelevant - its a step in the right direction.
Coming from my experience with my Android phone, I would not want Android controlling any mission critical function.<p>If its for non critical functions, thats different. There was a survey about this sort of thing done very recently.<p><a href="http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/report-automakers-should-put-brakes-car-app-hopes/2012-09-24" rel="nofollow">http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story/report-automakers-shoul...</a>
Here is the idea, please vote if you like it: Most cars already have a big LCD in the center console for navigation or entertainment, but each manufacturer writes their own software for it. My idea is to have it run Android, which would allow anyone to make apps specifically for cars, entertainment or information-based, taking advantage of special API like vehicle speed, fuel, error codes, etc (from OBD2 or ECU). This would bring huge value for car manufacturers(offsetting the development cost) and customers would love the limitless customization possibilities. Here is how it would look like: <a href="http://s13.postimage.org/8bt3a7kdj/Car_Droid.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://s13.postimage.org/8bt3a7kdj/Car_Droid.jpg</a>
Something worries me about commodifying driving distractions. Every day I see several people fiddling on their phones in the front seat, and I know I'm no less guilty. How much thought have you put in about safety criteria for these car apps?
If you want to know why a car running android is a bad idea, take a ride in an 8 year old BMW/Mercedes with (back then) state of the art navigation system. While the car itself is probably still nice, the "smart" part just feels horribly outdated - because it is. The length of these two innovation cycles differs by a factor 3-5. For the same reason, a "smart" fridge running Android isn't, either.<p>If, on the other hand, you propose introducing a reasonably standardised protocol for interfacing your phone with the in-car audio, video and input systems (plus readouts from the internal sensors), I definitively agree. This allows you to update the "smart" bit every two years on contract, but you can use the controller and screen (with longer innovation cycles, even though they are still below the typical ttl of cars) integrated in the car.
If anyone else with more than 50 tabs open freaks out about weird bird songs and ambient noises: Disable the sound on _this_ page, which is auto-played..<p>Drove me crazy for 5 minutes..
For things like OBD monitoring I sort of prefer my own Android device. There are already bluetooth based dongles for reading OBD. Car manufacturers would probably lock their OS down hopelessly.
It has always been a dream of mine to get desktop-like computing wherever I am; in the car, in a phone, on a bike, all sorts of craziness. The biggest drawback that I've always come up with is boot up and shut down times and when boot up and shut downs are allowed to happen. You can turn a car off and the radio/nav/etc. instantly turn off. That isn't true with computers/phones/tablets.<p>There are android-based radios for my car that I was considering, but the first question was how long it would take to boot up when I turned my car on. My i[Phone|pad]/nexus7 takes a good minute, id go insane waiting on that every time I turn my car on/off.<p>I've always wondered what are different about computer-like appliances and computers when it comes to booting them up and randomly shutting them down, even the the middle of preforming a task?
I've had a custom-built carputer in my vehicle for 5 years now. It first ran Windows Embedded, and now Windows 7. The front-end UI is a commercial application called Centrafuse(<a href="http://www.centrafuse.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.centrafuse.com/</a>) at the moment, but there are open-source options available, namely Ride-Runner (<a href="http://guino.home.insightbb.com/roadrunner.html" rel="nofollow">http://guino.home.insightbb.com/roadrunner.html</a>).<p>From a hardware perspective such a system is simple - I have a nano-ITX board, a 12V DC-DC power supply, and an SSD. You can package this into a double-DIN opening without issue. OBD-II connection is via Bluetooth to an adapter plugged into the diagnostic port under my dash. GPS comes from a USB receiver. Currently I use wifi to connect to my home/work network and load content, but a 3G/4G dongle is an easy mobile solution.<p>However, by far the best solution suitable for commercial, rather than hobbyist, use is from QNX. Check it out: <a href="http://www.qnx.com/products/qnxcar/" rel="nofollow">http://www.qnx.com/products/qnxcar/</a> It's what powers most OEM systems, such as BMW's awesome iDrive system.
Don't forget to add NFC. I want to tap a location through to the onboard Nav app from maps, contact, or an appointment on my phone.<p>Everytime I want to go somewhere new I have to type with that damn on-screen resistive nav screen keyboard. When 80% of the time I've already got the info in a contact, meeting, or search result on my phone.
There are already android devices that fit where a car stereo does: <a href="http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/bluetooth-hands-free-car-kits/parrot-asteroid" rel="nofollow">http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/bluetooth-hands-free-car-...</a><p>The only difference would be the integration of key data points from the car itself. But then we stray from navigation and entertainment into core functionality of the vehicle. And at that point I'd want the device to be proven to still be fine for the operating parameters of a car, which requires a different level of engineering/quality than an entertainment and navigation system.
My buddy created KillNanny, an app that hacks a touch screen car radio named AppRadio, so that you can run your android directly through it. His still-beta efforts can be seen here:<p><a href="http://appradioforums.com/Thread-KillNanny-Video" rel="nofollow">http://appradioforums.com/Thread-KillNanny-Video</a><p>It is very cool, even though it is still in an early state.
Submitted to Reddit to try and spike the contest in your favor. Good luck!<p>Totally agree. This would be ideal for infotainment systems. No one is arguing this should be running the ECU.
It would drain your battery before a full day is up though ;)<p>I've often thought a similar thing like this would work well for entertainment systems on flights too.