Mexican Media Brands
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.
#electronics
Share
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.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Lincoln Corsair Takes Flight
“We wanted to create a dramatic, youthful Lincoln with terrific harmony.” And with the Corsair, they’ve accomplished what they set out to do.
-
On Military Trucks, Euro Car Sales, Mazda Drops and More
Did you know Mack is making military dump trucks from commercial vehicles or that Ford tied with Daimler in Euro vehicle sales or the Mazda6 is soon to be a thing of the past or Alexa can be more readily integrated or about Honda’s new EV strategy? All that and more are found here.
-
2018 Ford EcoSport: Small Is the New Big
Eric Loeffler, chief program engineer for the 2018 Ford EcoSport, recalls driving home from work one day from the product development center in Brazil where work was underway on developing the vehicle that will be coming to the U.S. in 2018, having been launched in 2003 in South America and is now become available in 140 countries around the world.