Google caught us off-guard at CES earlier this year when it announced the Open Automotive Alliance, a partnership between it, NVIDIA and several car makers that’s aimed at “accelerating auto innovation.” We haven’t heard much about the effort since then, but today that information dam has burst with a leak that may have revealed some early details of the service.
According to information shared with Android Police, the Open Automotive Alliance software will feature four distinct sections: music, telephony, navigation and search. The image you see above is a mockup of what the music interface is expected to look like. Included is a large album art image, a translucent bar with playback controls, four buttons for jumping between the main spaces of the UI and a Google search shortcut in the upper right corner.
The dialer UI is said to allow the user to choose a contact, dial a number or start a call just by using his or her voice. Voice commands are also expected to be able to compose messages. After the user dictates the message, the software will read it back and ask if it should be sent.
Rounding out the Open Automotive Alliance UI, it’s said that voice commands can be used to conduct searches and launch navigation. The car icon at the bottom of the display could show information related to the vehicle itself, and it’s possible that Google Now cards could be included as well.
Since Google hasn’t said much about the Open Automotive Alliance since January, it’s possible that some of the details of this leak could change by the time that the software rolls out the public. Android Police also notes that, just like with Android on mobile devices, car manufacturers may choose to skin the OAA software. That said, the UI described in todays report sounds like one that would be used in a car, with a focus on large buttons and voice commands.
What do you think of the UI described in today’s report? Would you like to have the Open Automotive Alliance software in a car?
Via Android Police
