2011 Detroit Auto Show: Automakers focus on Car Infotainment, Telematics at CES

Toyota unveiled entune, its answer to Ford's Sync (now MyFord) and Kia's UVO infotainment systems. While Motor Trend did an excellent job highlighting entune's features, Toyota plans to unveil even more details and features at Detroit. One interesting tidbit about entune is that, according to Toyota, the infotainment system is based off the Internet "cloud". That means entune apps run on servers instead of the vehicle's hard disks. That makes it easy for entune to keep information and apps up to date as well as be adaptive to future telecommunication technologies.
Michael Deitz, National Manager - Connected Car for Hyundai, provided both Automotive.com and Motor Trend the lowdown on Blue Link, Hyundai's telematics and infotainment system. One of the most interesting aspects of the system is the use of "live agents" who back up the system's automation 24/7. According to Deitz, such agents review specific voice files when the system is having difficulty understanding the consumer due to speech patterns, softness, or accent. This makes the system more dynamic and simpler to use. He said even more details on Blue Link will be unveiled at the auto show.
read more