Google Android in Roewe 350 revealed in pictures

Damon Lavrinc — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, China, Technology, Roewe

Roewe 350 with Android - Click above for image gallery

With the Google I/O developer's conference going on and General Motor's spate of announcements about the future of OnStar and its Android-integrated smartphone app for the Chevrolet Volt, there's been a fair amount of virtual ink spilled over the search giant's mobile software and its integration into automobiles.

However, Roewe has taken the biggest leap yet and installed Android into its new 350 sedan.

The system, developed in conjunction with the Chinese automaker and Inkanet, employs a 3G internet connection through China Unicom to deliver everything from weather to stock market information, and connects to phones and other multimedia devices through either a cable or Bluetooth connection. As you'd expect, GPS and traffic data is integrated into the system, and users can make phone calls, along with sending and receiving emails and text messages. An on-screen QWERTY keyboard is incorporated into the custom user interface, and unlike some of the hack jobs we've seen on netbooks and vaporware tablets, it's actually an attractive implementation of the Android operating system.

The whole package will set Chinese consumers back around $600-900 when it arrives later this year, and includes 24 months of free service through China Unicom. Check the gallery below for a walk through of its features.

Gallery: Roewe 350 with Android

[Source: PCAuto via Thetycho]

Google Android in Roewe 350 revealed in pictures originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roewe 350: The first car to run on Android

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:39:00 EST

Filed under: China, Technology, Roewe

Google and the Chinese government are having a little row right now, but that hasn't stopped China's love for Google goods. The production lines for the Roewe 350 have started rolling out sedans, and the little four-door, designed as a sign of SAIC's automotive futur,e is certainly headed for hundreds of thousands of Chinese homes. In the process, it will employ Google's Android operating system, up until now only seen primarily on mobile phones and a handful of cheap PCs.

Android was developed from Linux, and is a highly customizable OS with a huge range of adaptability. In the Roewe 350, the Android interface running through the DVD system will give occupants web access and even online chatting, in addition to mundane things like real-time traffic. It's a neat choice to make, and with Android's app possibilities it might mean you could share information from car to car and skip the step of reading directions and other information from your phone. And if there's a virus... well, we won't worry about that just yet...

[Source: China Car Times]

Roewe 350: The first car to run on Android originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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