O'Grady's PowerPage

Category: CarPlay

  • Toyota begins offering CarPlay retrofits to some 2018 models

    This is definitely nifty.

    Per Car and Driver, Toyota is beginning the process of retrofitting select 2018 cars with both Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa.

    At this point, owners of the 2018 Camry sedan and Sienna minivan are being offered the option to have CarPlay added to their car. At this point, those are the only two vehicles that Toyota will be retrofitting with CarPlay and Alexa support. The carmaker says this will bring the technology to “some of its most popular vehicles already on the road.”

    Toyota has stated that it will contact Camry and Sienna owners and be “encouraging them to contact their dealer” about the retrofit. The carmaker has yet to indicate how long the process will take, or the price associated with the upgrade, but did not a “small service charge” associated with the upgrade:

    Toyota was late to the CarPlay game, announcing last year that the feature would come to three of its 2019 cars.

    Along with Toyota, Mazda announced last year that it would expand CarPlay support to vehicles form 2014 onward. Mazda currently charges $199 for the upgrade procedure.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Car and Driver

  • Rumor: Apple testing next-gen iPhones with USB-C connectors, three-camera system, significant changes for iOS 13

    The rumor mill has it that the next-gen iPhone could feature a rear-facing 3D camera incorporating a laser scanner for purposes like augmented reality, while iOS 13 could deliver features like Dark Mode and CarPlay enhancements.

    The laser sensor is thought to work at ranges up to about 15 feet, in contrast with the dot projection system on current iPhones’ front-facing TrueDepth cameras. Apple is also said to be talking to Sony about testing components.

    Unlike TrueDepth’s dot projection system, the new system centers around a time of flight (TOF) system, which measures the time it takes for pulses of light to travel to and from a target surface.

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  • Mazda announces free CarPlay upgrades for qualifying vehicles

    Mazda on Tuesday stated that as of September, customer with a 2018 Mazda6 sedan will be able to get a free dealer-installed upgrade to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — as long as they paid for one of the right trims.

    The update will only be free to customer who paid for the Touring, Grand Touring, Grand Touring Reserve, or Signature options packages, also known as “trims.” The upgrade should take about two hours, and include a faster-charging 2.1-amp USB port as well as a newer version of Mazda Connect.

    CarPlay and Android Auto will come included with the same trims beginning in November.

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  • Apple CEO Tim Cook confirms company’s efforts towards autonomous car systems

    Following years of Apple being characteristically tight-lipped as to whether it’s been working on an autonomous car project, CEO Tim Cook is finally ready to admit to the world that yes, Apple is working on a self-driving car system.

    In an interview with Bloomberg Television following the WWDC keynote, Cook described the autonomous driving system as “a core technology that we view as very important,” but stopped well short of saying Apple was actually building its own car. “We’ll see where it takes us,” he said.

    The project, which is said to have been dubbed “Project Titan”, shows that Apple seems to be serious about its effort in this field.

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  • Apple CarPlay, Android Auto go head to head in comparison video

    In an informal – but funny – showdown between Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto, the mighty Yuri and Jakub hopped into a car and tested both systems out in terms of voice recognition, finding directions and making quick calls from your car.

    The results speak for themselves, especially when Siri comes into play.



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