#Blackberry

Supplier company Continental may hold the “keys” to future driving thanks to two different technologies under development.

After a good decade and a half in-vehicle infotainment is still something of a mess. Practically every automaker has taken its own approach to implementing advanced connectivity technology. And just like freshly fallen snowflakes no two solutions are alike.

Volkswagen is investing in developing the future of vehicle connectivity and infotainment by taking over a research and development facility in Germany.

The folks from QNX demonstrated the power of their software platform at 2014’s Telematics Update Detroit. The Canada-based computer company showed off a reference platform with super-fast booting capabilities.

Few car components have been vilified more than the MyFord Touch infotainment system, but word is floating about that the Blue-Oval may be switching its gameplan, ditching its Microsoft based platform for one powered by BlackBerry’s QNX.

A new platform for in-car entertainment is ready to hit the market, based on the latest software from Research in Motion (RIM) subsidiary, QNX. 

Starting today, generally unloved BlackBerry smartphone users can take advantage of the OnStar RemoteLink Mobile App, something that until now has been restricted to iOS and Android devices.

In order to attract buyers, car manufacturers have had to ramp up the amount of technology offered in their cars. Infotainment systems do a lot, like help navigate, set cabin temperature, adjust audio settings and more, but they tend to be a neat party trick, falling short in real-world use.

Cell phones behind the wheel— they’re a deadly plague on traffic safety that cause frequent and preventable crashes. Even worse is the fact that scores of mature drivers are just as guilty as any number of 16-year-old sidewalk terrors more concerned with texting back than taking the wheel.

Volkswagen has agreed to halt its Blackberry email servers from sending emails to employees when they are off their shift after complaints that their staff’s work and home lives were becoming one (can’t we all relate).

If you weren’t addicted to your Crackberry before, you will be once you get your hands on the Porsche Design P’9981 Smartphone from Blackberry.

Sometimes a negative can really be a positive. Take the Blackberry outage that had users scrambling for a way to communicate earlier this week. It turns out that traffic accidents and fatalities fell drastically during that time period.

Imagine having a gadget in your car that could tell you how fast to go to avoid stopping at the next light. Well, now you can. A network of dashboard smartphones can monitor traffic lights and congestion helping drivers avoid idling, cutting fuel use by 20 percent.

Something to allow city-dwellers, sports car owners, or high-school principals to sleep easy at night: a new app for iPhones, Droids, and Blackberries will warn you when some @#%! is messing with your car, allowing you to dispense justice as you see fit.

Apple has officially rejected any inclusion of DUI checkpoints in its iOS apps. In this week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple updated its app store to prohibit applications informing users of DUI checkpoints.