Mercedes Tweaks Infotainment Apps

Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz Cars unit has modified apps for such social media Web sites as Facebook and Google to make them safer and more appropriate for use in cars, reports WardsAuto.com.

The program aims to make the company's "mbrace2" infotainment system a must-have feature, explains Rob Policano, who heads the program. He says Mercedes wants to provide vehicle-appropriate features rather than having drivers use apps intended for mobile phone users.

Policano tells Ward's that mbrace2's version of Facebook won't allow users to personalize messages when the vehicle is moving. Instead, they can choose from pre-set messages.

Similarly, the company's app for Yelp a Web-based service that lets users post and read reviews about business was modified with drivers in mind to show star ratings, permit hands-free calling to a selected business and load route instructions into the car's navigation system.

Policano says reworking apps is a major investment. Mercedes worked with the original app developers to create its proprietary versions. The mbrace2 system debuted earlier this year in the 2013 SL roadster and will become a standard feature for most other new Mercedes models this autumn.