The best part about a journey used to be arriving at other family members' or friends' places, or at new and familiar destinations. These days, thanks to a multitude of digital gadgets, car travellers are only the touch of a button away from their destination and the journey itself is the main experience.
Everybody knows Microsoft's applications for the home PC, workplace and living room. Yet many people are not aware that for almost fifteen years now Microsoft has been helping car drivers all over the world to stay in contact with the people who are important to them while they're on the road and enabling them to enjoy the soundtrack of their lives whenever they like. These people are always perfectly entertained, never take a wrong turn, save money and protect the environment: all thanks to Microsoft Auto, the automotive software platform by Microsoft.
Microsoft Auto is their digital interface to the road. Right from the moment they set off, they have access to phone, multimedia and navigation services plus many other applications and it only takes a few simple voice commands to use them. Microsoft Auto users are always in the fast lane on the data highway.
The specialists at the Microsoft Automotive Business Unit (ABU) are right at the leading edge of the automotive industry and they've been working since 1995 on enhancing convenience and safety to deliver greater enjoyment to drivers. Not only at the US Microsoft headquarters in Redmond and also in Detroit, Munich and Tokyo, they develop products in collaboration with leading vehicle manufacturers that will change your conception of driving. The objective of the Microsoft ABU's longstanding cooperation with Fiat, Ford, Hyundai-Kia, BMW, Honda and many other automotive giants and suppliers is to merge the automotive industry's experience with Microsoft's IT know-how. The result is products that deliver a comprehensive range of in-vehicle functions and connectivity. At the same time, the updateable products developed by the Automotive Business Unit ensure that you always have the very latest technology at your fingertips.
Will you derive enjoyment from your new mobile phone for as long as you derive enjoyment from your new car? Mobile phones are already a digital interface in many people's lives that they'd be reluctant to do without on the road. Automobile manufacturers face the problem of harmonising the rapid advancement of mobile internet technology with cars that will last for as long as possible. For instance, vehicle infotainment technology tends to fall short of customer needs and requirements only a few years after it is launched. That's where the Microsoft Auto software platform comes into play. The combination of standardised interfaces such as USB, Bluetooth or GPS enables the low-cost customisation of the vehicle's digital nerve centre because it can be updated at any time to reflect new technological developments. Thanks to Microsoft Auto, customers can have a convenient, cost-effective and comprehensive range of mobile terminals such as mobile phones, media players and navigation systems installed in their car from the day it is delivered to them. And regular updates are provided so that you'll never have to make frustrating technical compromises, even if you've already covered a considerable distance in your car.
Microsoft Auto on the internet
Long before the internet went mobile, in December 1998, the Microsoft Automotive Business Unit launched Auto PC, the world's first integrated on-board computer with a hands-free function and a navigation system based on embedded Windows CE software. Even back then, Microsoft was committed to ensuring that in-vehicle information technology always satisfied high standards of safety, convenience and functionality. And it remains committed to this principle today. In the meantime, Microsoft has been continuously involved in the development of digital diversity for the automotive sector. In 2004, Connect Car technology by Microsoft won the "Telematic Solution of the Year" Award. In 2005 it launched Windows Automotive 5.0 - the sixth version of a software platform - and it is still the basis for the development of high-end infotainment and multimedia devices by reputed manufacturers such as Alpine, Clarion and JVC today.
2006 was a milestone in Microsoft's automotive business. Blue&Me - a Microsoft Auto-based system with USB port, Windows Media Player, navigation system and Bluetooth hands-free system that the driver can conveniently operate by voice commands - was showcased at the Geneva Motor Show. The 750,000 satisfied Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo customers who opted for Blue & Me may have done so because they were able to upgrade their cars simply and at no cost whatsoever with the new eco:Drive fuel conservation programme using an additional SMS reader.
People who travel extensively know that the road never ends. Microsoft, too, has a long way to go in its partnership with the automotive industry. The Korean automotive group Hyundai-Kia is another major Asian car manufacturer which has teamed up with Microsoft to develop innovative products. Continental AG, one of the world's leading automotive suppliers, is using Microsoft Auto as the basis for its future technology. In 2010, Continental's fully integrated multimedia platform will be hitting the roads for the first time, opening up a surprising new dimension of convenience and functionality to drivers.
Wherever developments are heading and whatever opportunities appear on the future horizon, Microsoft Auto users will always be closer to their destination.
The Microsoft Auto software platform's comprehensive range of digital functions equips drivers to cope with any problem that they encounter on the road.