Some of the dilemmas of Android car navigation

Vehicle navigation from the original decoder chip, the transition to the use of wince system, has formed a larger industry. Some of the major principles used in vehicle navigation are basically fixed. Now wince came to an end, Android car navigation began to exert force, but because of the use of Android system habits, and the traditional car use habits have a big difference, in the design, often encounter some embarrassment, both to maintain the original usage habits, but also to retain the advantages of Android. It is often necessary to take into account the technical cost of a lot of effort and the use of confusion, but the market inertia and it is difficult to allow comprehensive innovation. So the Android car, I think the biggest difficulty is not technical, but the product standard, that is what the Android car should look like, is the traditional wince car, or like the Android tablet, each take advantage, how to weigh the trade-offs, and so on.

1, single-tasking and multi-tasking issues, as well as the extension of the issue of multiple sources, is currently the biggest dilemma Android

Traditional in-vehicle navigation is a single task, such as playing the radio, inserting an SD card, automatically play the music in the SD card, and stop the radio. In addition to the navigation software, only one application can be run at the same time, specifically, only one application can make a sound. And the familiar Android is a multi-tasking operating system, multiple applications can run simultaneously, multiple players can make sound at the same time. This is different from the traditional usage habits, but to allow only one application to make sound, it is not in line with the Android habit, technical is not good to deal with, or even irreconcilable (for example, the various short tones of Android to how to deal with).

In the navigation software, compared to the traditional car, but also more trouble. Navigation software in the voice broadcast, the traditional car machine has two processing methods, one is to mute other sounds, and the other sound volume down (mix). Because Android allows users to freely install navigation software, different navigation software for voice playback of the message processing method, if not processed, resulting in different navigation software in mute and mixing behavior inconsistent.

The Android system itself provides a mechanism for Audiofocus audio focus, but this mechanism is not mandatory, and most third-party players are not complying. Standing on Android's point of view, at the same time open two players, while playing two songs, navigation software when the broadcast is what kind of behavior, relying on the software and the player itself, is inconsistent, these are normal. But standing in the habit of a traditional car machine, these are all problems.

This is a demand-level problem, if you want to strictly simulate a single task, then many of the advantages of Android no longer exist, if you completely retain the Android multi-tasking, then the factory does not accept (the final consumer does not accept, it is unknown). If there is a single mixed up, but also for the technical complexity, and in the use of the inconsistency.

2. Too much emphasis on new technology

At present, in the car industry, when it comes to Android, voice control, mobile phone interconnection, multi-screen interaction and other concepts, as if none of these things is not Android, or even give people feel no such things are worthless. Android has been mobile phone for many years, car navigation just on Android, but mobile phones on the above several technologies are far from the car industry to see so heavy, which leads to a real problem, is the technical maturity. Mobile phone company developers are still hundreds of people, while the car company does not reach this size, and the car Android is following the phone Android's butt behind, the car Android too much to pursue these are simply unrealistic. For example, Android's WiFi display relies heavily on chip makers ' ability to develop, and even with Android, the overall industry level of these technologies is immature. Too much attention, like the old bull pull the cart, do beyond the scope of things, is always tired and unsatisfactory.

3, the car machine factory to the Android cognition is generally backward

Because of the traditional car machine for many years, the factory's technical accumulation is in the traditional car, which led to serious cognitive deficiencies in Android. Take the factory testing department, has been testing wince car, now to test the Android car, many people even the most basic Android operation, such as connecting WiFi, install the app, File Manager to view files, let alone understand the concept of third-party apps. This also led to some frustration, such as having a customer's testers, feedback questions back, a lot of Android native application problems, I also and colleagues said, according to such a concept test, even the Android system itself is not qualified.

But the factory generally first to pass the test department clearance, only possible cooperation, and testers do not understand Android, often to wince requirements to do the mechanism, resulting in a lot of non-technical problems of communication costs.

4, too valued Costdown

Many factory owners of wince car machine costdown very good, and Android car machine compared to wince car, is a new thing, can say less earn points, the market pushed aside, to the technology buffer time to do costdown, is the normal thinking. In the beginning, the extreme costdown can only be postponed to the production time and weaken the competitiveness.

5, talent competition on the weak

At present, Android development market talent in short supply, Android BSP and app development talent, the major companies are rushing to, and good treatment. Technically, the vehicle navigation technology complexity is not low, and the car industry lacks it gene (strong manufacturing, plant gene), in personnel pay, humanistic care, corporate culture, and other aspects, compared to mobile phones and software companies, lack of competitiveness.

With the development of the times, the car industry is generally growing, the concept of car networking and so on, should attract it big guy and capital of some attention. As far as my judgment is concerned, it is difficult for the traditional car-driving solution company to do a good job in Android, because the habits is too heavy. The new company is technically more hopeful to make a breakthrough, but in the market and capital is at a disadvantage, such as complementary advantages, will greatly accelerate the speed of the promotion of Android car.

Some of the dilemmas of Android car navigation