The Bigger the Development Playground, the Better

Cars as the New Digital Service

The car industry and auto technology are normally drowned out by the latest handheld gadget or TV technology announcements at Consumer Electronics Show 2013 in Las Vegas, but we at Solid saw the juicy bits through the noise. Ford and GM automobile infotainment systems were opening to the third party development community. 

With this, Ford and GM establish the core fundamental success of the leading smart phone platforms- their developer community. Both Apple and Google rely heavily on their IOS and Android developer base to provide more content, value and commitment to their platforms. By enabling developers with their APIs and SDKs to integrate outside apps into the hardware interface, Ford and GM will give their consumer a more enhanced driving experience.

Implementations of the technology will be different. Ford’s AppLink system is easy to integrate into existing apps on the driver’s existing smartphone and dataplan. GM’s framework, on the other hand, is more deeply integrated with the auto’s dashboard electronics and won’t necessitate a smartphone.

Here at Solid, we have already requested the SDKs and will start playing with the APIs. The car will just become another digital device with streaming content, mapping with localization and traffic. The bigger the development playground, the better in our eyes.