CarPlay gets touched, knobbed, and after-marketed at CES 2015
CarPlay is Apple’s way to bring your iPhone experience into any car you own, lease, rent, or borrow. As long as the manufacturer supports it — or you install it after-market — you never have to worry about learning a new “infotainment” system again, nor being stuck with one locked forever to your purchase day. Simply get in, connect, and your latest iPhone hardware and up-to-date iOS software take over the screen and give you the interface you already know so you can use all the apps you already love — all with the date and content you already have. While CarPlay will look and work similarly from vendor to vendor for just that reason, there are also a few differences. Georgia, Serenity Caldwell, and Anthony Casella took to CES 2015 to show you how!
Watch SpaceX launch its Falcon 9 rocket and try to land it on a barge (updated)
Very soon at around 6:20 4:47 AM EST today SpaceX will launch one its mighty Falcon 9 rockets carrying a Dragon capsule, weather permitting. “Big deal!” you may well say. “What’s another rocket launch?” We’re sure you’re not that jaded (they’re all amazing) but this one is pretty special. After the Dragon is up and away doing its thing (carrying ISS cargo, to be exact), the 14-story tall first stage will attempt to make a precision landing on an ocean platform only 300×100 feet in size. Though the Falcon 9 has touched down on the ocean before, this is the first precision barge landing it’ll make. Even the normally brash Musk said “the odds of success are not great — perhaps 50 percent at best.” That makes things extra exciting, so grab your popcorn and check the video below.
Update: the Falcon 9 launch and recovery has been aborted, apparently due to some kind of issue with the second stage. The next launch window could be as early as this Friday.
Update (01/10/15) by Mariella Moon: SpaceX is on track to launch the Falcon 9 rocket in a few minutes and then land the first stage on a barge when it makes its way back down. If all goes well, Elon Musk will finally be able to party at Cocoa Beach today.
At mission control in California. Launch in 60 mins. Looks good so far.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 10, 2015
Filed under: Science
Source: SpaceX
CES takeaway: Android Auto
The 2015 experience of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is wrapping up, and it was a pretty great event. We had a good portion of our team on the ground for the week, bringing you all the best that CES 2015 had to offer. With so much to discover and experience, we had to break apart our round-up of the show into several parts.
Before we dive into our Android Auto coverage, I just wanted to thank you, our readers, for joining us on this adventure. We had a ton of fun, and we hope you did too.
Last June, Google officially introduced a number of new products and services at their Google I/O conference, most of which centered around the Android operating system. On that list was a streamlined version of the OS called Android Auto. Designed specifically to operate in the dashboard of your next car, 40 auto makers signed on to bring this system to life into 2015 and beyond
As it so happens, auto makers were a major vendor at CES, and as you can imagine, Android Auto was a major driving force behind smart and connected cars at the show.
For new vehicles
Hyundai
One of the first names to come to our attention was Hyundai. Hyundai took Android Auto to a level that we perhaps always dreamed of, but didn’t think would hit this early in the game. With the name Blue Link, and in cooperation with Viper car alarms and starters, Hyundai has not only built Android Auto into their car, but went ahead and built an Android Wear app to go with it. We took the time to talk about Hyundai and Blue Link a few times, which you can see in short in the video below.
This might be a good time to mention that Hyundai’s Android Auto implementation, as with most others, is not currently the core of the software running. As you saw in the Hyundai hands-on video over here, Android Auto is an application within the Hyundai software. This is to be expected, as you still want your car entertainment and navigation systems to work, even if you leave your phone at home.
Volkswagen
Playing fair to Android and iOS users alike, Volkswagen came to the show with their promise of Android Auto and CarPlay support for upcoming cars. Sadly, the only vehicle specifically named was the Golf, but we expect most of their lineup will see the update in coming years. Volkswagen’s new system will also feature something called MirrorLink, which will allow for direct integration with HTC, LG, Samsung and Sony Android phones.
Best of all, Volkswagen is also working on Android apps so that you can lock and unlock doors or check on your battery level from the comfort of your living room.
Aside from the Android Auto highlights of the show, CES 2015 had a good number of other auto makers on board as well, we saw innovations for everything from infotainment systems through to self driving cars. A few of the major names to make headlines were BMW with their accident avoidance tech and GM, or Chevrolet depending on how you look at it, with their new Volt electric car. Players like Dodge, Mercedes and Tesla were also on hand, but as cool as their stuff was, it just didn’t make it onto our ‘Android radar’ as much as the rest, at least not this time.
Another player that made us stop and look twice, was Ford. Ford has long been a leader in connected car technology, at least in the ‘cars under $50,000′ segment. I won’t spoil anything, but we took a good look at their tech over here.
Audi
As an added bonus, we caught wind of a new smartwatch built by LG at the show. At first we were a little perplexed, and you are probably wondering why we’re talking about it in an Android Auto article. I go further off course by mentioning that said smartwatch was found to be running WebOS, but the thing is, this smartwatch was commissioned by Audi.
We are eagerly looking forward to learning more about this watch, particularly how well it integrates with Android, as it has been called the rich and beautiful sibling to the LG G Watch R. More than this, we can’t wait to see how (if) it integrates with Android Auto in the car.
For all vehicles
The idea of purchasing a new car equipped with Android Auto is very exciting, but what if a new car is not in your immediate future? No worries, a handful of common car audio manufacturers were at CES showing off their new Android Auto wears. In general, we’re looking at stereo head units built with Android Auto, and we suspect something will appeal to you with players like Kenwood, Panasonic and Pioneer in the game.
But that’s not all, a brand that you may not have heard of has made a bit of a splash as wall, Parrot announced their new RNB6. RNB6 offers up a 7-inch touch panel to users, with a few dedicated physical buttons on the side for good measure. Running a base layer of Android Auto software, enhancements have been added to support CarPlay and the device can even hook to your car’s OBDII connector, to bring in live metrics of your drive, such as fuel level and consumption and so much more.
One last thing, did we mention that the Parrot RNB6 also packs a dash camera, and support for a rear camera? That’s right, Parrot may have build the best aftermarket Android Auto head unit around, so far.
Until next year
With CES 2015 under our belts, it’s time to look forward to what comes next. As far as Android Auto is concerned, the best is yet to come. We’ve all seen Android Auto in the news, watched the videos, read the articles, but the real fun starts now. We are very much looking forward to 2015 and all that it brings to the road.
Before you run away, be sure to check out our other CES takeaway experiences, including:
CES takeaway: Android TV (Coming soon)
CES takeaway: Smartphones and Tablets
CES takeaway: Wearables (Coming soon)
What was your favorite Android Auto news out of CES 2015?
These are Android Central’s Top Picks for CES 2015!
Some of the best of what we saw at CES 2015!
We’re in the home stretch of CES 2015. We’ve see quite a good bit of Android on the show floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Some good. Some not so good. But some stood out above all others as we made our way through the week.
And it was a diverse class this year. We’ve got phones. We’ve got tablets. We’ve got a high-end camera with a phone. We’ve got a watch. A TV box. And even some of the new guts that are going to be powering our devices in the future.
It’s a strong list, indeed. But perhaps it’s even more exciting that it’s still a limited look at what we’ve got in store this year. There’s so much good stuff coming. But for now, it’s time to announce this year’s winners. And they are …
Lamborghini phone will cost you $6,000
The 88 Tauri has been announced by luxury brand Tonino Lamborghini at CES for those that have expensive taste. This is the company’s second Android device, and like the first it commands a premium pricetag. Expect to shell out $6,000 for this piece of kit.
Review – Cassnova Denim Laptop Case
Laptop sleeves are a great solution for protecting your device and holding a few accessories without carrying around a bag or briefcase. However, they are also known for being fairly stripped down of compartments and options, which can be inconvenient at times.
Cassnova has bridged the gap between bag and sleeve with their 13-inch Denim Laptop Case. It offers up the thin design of a sleeve with enough storage and features to fill in as a laptop bag.
Forks and spoons can’t stop the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 with AnyPen
The folks at Lenovo have been working hard to keep the Yoga line cutting edge and interesting, and as far as most people are concerned they have managed exactly that. A new year means new tech on the horizon, especially here at CES, and it’s clear after spending a few minutes with the Yoga Tablet 2 that the focus is making sure you can use your tech wherever you are. Sometimes that means you’re in the kitchen with egg yolk all over your hands, while other times it means you’re out in the shop with thick gloves on. The one thing these scenarios have in common, according to Lenovo, is the ability to use whatever is handy as a stylus thanks to AnyPen.
It’s probably still important to remember that just because you can use any piece of metal around you doesn’t mean you should, especially since a carrot will work just as well, but the ability is exciting and perfectly functional.
CES 2015 favorites from the folks back home
CES favorites from the folks not buried in CES
You’ve probably noticed that over 9000 people from Mobile Nations — including our own Phil, Alex, Andrew, Russell and Justin — are on the ground at CES 2015 looking at all the things. Phones, tablets, TVs and almost anything else you can think of that run Android or work together with Android have invaded Las Vegas, and we need an army to see it all.
But not all of us are there. We still need people to run things back home, and sleep in their own beds and eat food that doesn’t come from a booth. At the same time, we spend all day virtually at CES through the Internet. Trust me, I have more CES going on in my office than the Las Vegas Convention Center does. We’ve seen it all, through the eye of the camera, and we all have our own favorites.
Have a look at them.
AccuWeather app now supports Android Wear
The AccuWeather app on Android has just received a new update, bringing a new dedicated app for Android Wear along with it. This allows users to open up the AccuWeather app directly from their smartwatch, instead of periodically seeing cards on their wearable.
From the Android Wear app, users can view forecast, current weather conditions, precipitation and much more at their convenience. The update reflects on both the free and Platinum versions of the app, so you don’t need to shell out any extra bucks to get the app on your wrist.
There shouldn’t be any changes between the free and paid versions of the app, so you should be able to enjoy AccuWeather on your wearable regardless of whether you paid for it or not. But owning the paid version will remove ads from the mobile version of the app, so it’s worth considering if you don’t want annoying ads clogging up your view.
Come comment on this article: AccuWeather app now supports Android Wear
‘Crossy Road’ Bounces into Google Play Store
The popular Frogger clone ‘Crossy Road’ has officially made its way to Android from the Apple Appstore after stopping in at the Amazon Appstore for a month. The hit game is a blend between Frogger-like gameplay, Minecraft graphics, and a name reminiscent of Flappy Bird.
This addictive game will quickly capture your attention for hours on end, with simple controls and an easy goal: cross the road, don’t die. Crossy Road is free, with in-app purchases of $1 for new animals, like a cow or pig, to add to your starter chicken. It’s also possible to get some characters through gameplay.
So watch the promo video, follow the link, and get hopping!
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: ‘Crossy Road’ Bounces into Google Play Store
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