Automotive Efforts Continue

Despite an industrywide shakeout, Microsoft remains committed to creating a platform for automotive computers that connect to information and services. The latest version of the platform, Windows Automotive 4.2, adds support for Bluetooth short-range wireless technology and improved speech recognition, making it easier to support hands-free scenarios using customers’ existing wireless devices. It also implements various .NET technologies, making it easier for developers to build connected telematics applications.

Limited Demand So Far

Although cars have had internal computers to monitor performance and other functions since the 1980s, automotive computing for drivers and passengers (sometimes called “telematics”) first became mainstream in 1996 with OnStar, a safety and security system from General Motors. Since then, car manufacturers and IT companies have proposed and built automotive applications for a wide variety of functions, including the following:

• Navigation (e.g., mapping,