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Can I use my smartphone to view a backup camera? (Roadside Assistance)

Settling into the driver's seat of a modern, 2012 model year automobile means that you'll be facing quite a few LCD screens. You've got the display for the audio system, sometimes a color screen for navigation, the occasional standalone climate-control display, the monochromatic trip computer/vehicle settings LCD in the instrument cluster, and sometimes the instrument cluster itself is just one big LCD. Lots of screens demanding more and more of the driver's visual attention.

Sometimes, it's good to simplify and consolidate these screens down to a more manageable number. Many drivers chose to do … Read more

Valeo demonstrates parking by iPhone

Automotive equipment supplier Valeo put a new twist on its Park4U system at the 2011 International Motor Show in Frankfurt this week. It enabled the system to be controlled from an iPhone.

A Valeo representative stood outside the car, a Volkswagen Sharan, and parked it merely by using an iPhone app. The car, going in reverse, turned its wheel to slot into a narrow, perpendicular parking spot between two other cars.

But this technology is not as futuristic as it looks. The Volkswagen Sharan, a model not available in the United States, can already be had with Valeo's Park4U … Read more

Group promotes savings with open-source software

For about a year, a group of heavyweight automotive and technology companies has been working on a way to hasten development of in-vehicle entertainment systems. Their solution: share basic software development using the open-source Linux operating system.

Among the nearly 50 members of the group, called the Genivi Alliance, are automakers General Motors, BMW AG, Nissan Motor, and, as of February 17, Renault SA. Suppliers include Visteon, Delphi Automotive, and Continental AG.

The Genivi (pronounced jah-NEE-vee) Alliance is focusing on developing "middleware"--the layer of software that allows various kinds of information and entertainment applications to work together … Read more