REPORT: Volkswagen's next-gen nav system to get Apple iPhone-like gestures
Vehicle infotainment systems, those all-inclusive interfaces controlling the myriad electronics on today's modern cars and trucks, can make or break the driving experience. CNET is offering us a sneak-peek at Volkswagen's latest iteration from the company's Electronic Research Laboratory (ERL). Developed with Intel, the new system uses Global Open Research Infotainment Architecture, or GLORIA.
Most systems today us a joystick-like device, touch screen, or hard buttons on the edge of the display (or a combination of the three) to control the inputs. Volkswagen's new GLORIA system takes it one step further by making Apple iPhone-like "gesture control" possible. This means that users are able to navigate quickly by simply tracing single letters across the pressure-sensitive display. Another unique feature may allow users to import third-party widgets for the system, much like consumers currently load apps from iTunes onto their iPhones. As cool as it sounds, GLORIA is still under development and she isn't expected to see showrooms for a few more years.
[Source: CNET, Photo by CNET]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David 1:35PM (5/21/2009)
Tracing letters on the screen is not an iPhone thing, that's more like a Palm thing. Using multi-touch to control zoom would be an iPhone thing.
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Rocketboy 1:57PM (5/21/2009)
Or it sounds like a 'Mouse Gestures' Opera thing.
zamafir 1:35PM (5/21/2009)
meh, looks less intuitive than the working one in the up!
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Aprime 1:42PM (5/21/2009)
As it's the case with practically every navigation systems on German luxury vehicles.
zamafir 1:52PM (5/21/2009)
Sure, which would beg the question why they showed off a cover flow enabled interface last year, why go through the effort of putting together a functional representation. Maybe it's the goal for this system to eventually attain those levels of functionality.
no. 1:41PM (5/21/2009)
Videos? Widgets? Seriously?
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ken_aisin 2:09PM (5/21/2009)
And pictures??
What's next? Solitaire? Minesweeper? Tetris?
aggrazel 1:52PM (5/21/2009)
GLORIA huh ? ... well hopefully it's less cynical than GLADOS.
"Turn right at the next intersection, and then there will be cake."
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Yipcanjo 1:52PM (5/21/2009)
Appears surprisingly ugly in the single screenshot.
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artandcolour 2:04PM (5/21/2009)
when do we just go all the way and replace the driver with a SIM? i'm sure there's an app for that in the works.
the more a driver is focused on crap like this, the more chances of an accident happening. i've read that 1 in 4 drivers already consistently text messages while driving. Connecticut has a law against driving while on the cell phone and/or texting, but from what i can see, it is not enforced in the slightest. i counted 100 drivers on their cell phones on a 1 hour walk last week.
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Jake 2:05PM (5/21/2009)
How long before there is basically and XBOX or Playstation in the dash? Seriously, this is ridiculous. I already have enough trouble dodging oblivious morons driving around playing with thier gadgets and causing havok. Do we need more?
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Heimbachae 2:09PM (5/21/2009)
will this accompany auto pilot cause dang if you have all these widgets to mess with i don't see how you can drive and widge at the same time!!
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sitruc 2:17PM (5/21/2009)
I read the article and title and thought adding Apple and iPhone for clicks is very engadgety of autoblog, but then I saw the tags "iPhone, iPod, iTunes" and thought that would have been a stretch even for engadget.
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Braden 2:18PM (5/21/2009)
When will manufacturers realize that non-tactile interfaces do NOT work well unless you are looking at them?
I don't want to have to stare at the screen and look at which "button" I'm pushing and watch to see it "depress" for confirmation that I actually hit the right damn thing.
Touchscreens are fine if you are already staring at it, but something like a radio or nav system should be operable *without* having to stare directly at it for long periods of time. I want tactile buttons and knobs, dammit!
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zamafir 2:21PM (5/21/2009)
VW will integrate it through the highline module, touching the screen won't be the only way.
KT 7:35PM (5/21/2009)
Voice activation is what you're looking for. I have SYNC and all I have to do is answer two prompts and I'm calling someone or listening to music or using the nav. Only one button on the steering wheel needs to be used.
Jeremy 5:25PM (5/21/2009)
Those controls make it look like an etch a sketch.
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McPOW 7:45PM (5/21/2009)
Look, Apple did not pioneer touch screens, nor did they pioneer multi-touch, nor did they pioneer gestural control. In fact, judging by your description of a letter gesture for navigation, this sounds much more like Palm's Graffiti.
And no, don't mention the Newton, that used (bad) natural handwriting recognition. Graffiti pioneered symbolic touchscreen gestures.
Can we please stop collectively bowing to Apple for stuff that other people invented?
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kortnie 7:06PM (5/22/2009)
It looks like they made it in PowerPoint. It's like the never got past wire framing their concept.
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