Microsoft (NASDAQ : MSFT ) is soon to going to land a “Windows Car”, although its not the first time the company is introducing something like it, instead it would be aimed at providing features of Windows Phone on the car’s dashboard.
At the Build conference last week, with an introduction to the Microsoft’s new voice assistant — Cortana, the company showed a demo about the upcoming Microsoft Windows Car. Windows Car is just like the Apple Carplay, and will display Windows Phone features on the touch screen enabled dashboard. It will be powered by the Mirrorlink, which is being used in the most of the cars these days.
It will be powered up with the Cortana, so users can easily control it with the voice commands. Its still a prototype and even crashed at the time of demo. Microsoft representatives failed to give any estimated time slot for it to arrive.
Along with the Cortana, the users will be able to use the features including maps, Bing and Spotify. The interface includes a start screen with tiles to pin the important tasks and meets. Just like in Windows 8, the user one can also swipe across to run the apps. It opens up a new dimension for the developers to develop apps for it, but then access to the apps is only limited when you are in a parking lot, not while driving. Windows Car does a lot more things like showing the speed limit, play/pause the music or radio.
With Windows Car, it would be possible to choose different radio frequencies, AM or FM or even listen to the Xbox Radio. Windows Car just like the Apple CarPlay also holds the features to make and receive the calls
Apple has already announced to bring Apple CarPlay with major automobile companies later this year, it would be interesting to see if Windows Car concept comes out in time to capture the market.
Great. Now instead of getting so angry I want to throw my POS Windows 8 PC out the window because repeatedly swiping corners and sides only randomly works sometimes to make hidden magic menus appear, now I’ll be so pissed off I’ll just want to smash my whole car into the nearest telephone pole..
For god’s sake car makers, DON’T PUT WINDOWS 8 on ANYTHING in a car! If you do, you’ll have invented a whole new category of road rage!