Just put an iPad dock in the car and hire some devs to write any apps that you may want to add to the slew of apps that already exist, or write an app to unify apps together into a custom experience...
An iPad dock in any car is the ultimate system... It can handle music, nav, entertainment, and if you tie it into the cars systems (ODB II, or a custom tie in), you could have apps that could control engine tuning (sport, economy, towing, etc.), as well as deliver fuel consumption info, RPM, etc.
Why come out with a completely proprietary system that will be outdated before it hits the lot? You can make certain apps proprietary and keep them updated via the app store. People would be far more willing to pay for something as cool as an iPad...
I would never consider something as lame as this CUE system as it's described... Not when the logical alternatives are much better, less expensive, and will provide far more longevity.
As more car manufacturers integrate smart capabilities and interactive media systems into automobiles, these platforms are really becoming defining traits for customers determining which cars to buy these days.
Cadillac is trying to outpace the competition with the new Cadillac User Experience, or simply referred to as CUE.
During a demo session in San Francisco on Tuesday, Cadillac rep Scott Fosgard described the automobile as “the last frontier” for smartphones. He continued that people need to be connected to the Web at both home and in the office, but now more consumers want to be connected in between too.
With that in mind, Fosgard remarked that Cadillac is also “reinventing infotainment” for the automobile. An example of that would be the integration of Pandora.
Although this is a common app on just about anything these days, it is integrated seamlessly with CUE across all dashboard screens in the car — including one that only appears to the driver as a reflection on the windshield. Users can connect their smartphones (either via Bluetooth for Android or USB for iOS) and then stream using the phone’s data plan.
But the key to that is not getting carried away with things. It’s not necessary (nor safe, to say the least) to have too many distractions while driving. It might be great for passengers, but the driver shouldn’t be concerned with frivolous bells and whistles while in transit.
Although I only spent limited time getting an overview of the system and observing it while in motion, the Cadillac CUE system actually does a pretty good job of getting over this hurdle. One example would be the aforementioned display that projects information on the lower left corner of the windshield, displaying only two stats at a time, such as speed and next-turn directions. (Note: This was almost impossible to photograph as it’s fairly visible — yet a tad faint — to the driver but nearly non-existent to anyone else in the car.)
Certainly, there are numerous configuration options for the digital dashboard instrument cluster and the center stack where the 8-inch capacitive touchscreen sits with the main app menu. But those can both be customized while parked so the driver doesn’t have to worry about them later.
When in park, the driver can take advantage of several graphically-enhanced yet vital apps covering the basics: maps/directions, weather, and the radio. Smartphone connectivity also plays a role here as CUE draws in the user’s contacts for dialing directly from the car as well as for pulling up directions to a contact’s address with just a few taps.
The system itself runs quite fast on a 3-core ARM processor, which Fosgard hailed as the fastest processor on any comparable in-car media service in the whole auto industry. Fosgard described it as powerful enough to process 1.2 billion commands per second.
To put it into one other perspective, he compared it to a 16-cylinder engine.
One of my favorite apps was actually about a subject that can be quite boring: weather. However, this is incredibly important for any drive, especially longer road trips.
By inputting the destination, CUE automatically generates how long it will take to get there and then displays the weather pattern by hour and major cities or towns along the way. This could be particularly useful in the winter so you have a better idea of just when and where it will start snowing so you can get on the road when its safest.
CUE already comes as a standard feature in the new 2013 Cadillac XTS. It will also be seen rolling out with the 2013 ATS later this year.