Smartphones to be in-car 'entertainment hub'

In-car tech is to be taken in a new direction with smartphones and applications tipped take the role of central entertainment hubs

Smartphones look set to continue their run of market-bridging dominance with automotive experts telling T3 the powerful pocket blowers are to become the centralised hubs of in-car entertainment.

Having already traversed their way into a number of key markets thanks to their broad array of internet-connected capabilities and app-enhanced features, smartphones are now tipped to play an active role in the next big advancement to in-car technology.

“Mobile phones are to become the entertainment hub of your car,” Stuart Harris, Head of Product Marketing at Vauxhall told T3 in an exclusive interview. “Possibly the heart of navigation as well,” he added.

“You're going to see a marked increase in the ability to have portable infotainment from your phone streamed throughout your car without the need to physically connect them. You will be able to leave them in your pocket, sync them with the car's entertainment centre and access the content you've brought with you.”

Harris' comments were expanded by Debbie Shields, Product and Technology Manager at Vauxhall, who expressed her belief that smartphone applications hold the key for in-car entertainment advancements.

“Linking up smartphones will be the next big thing for in-car technology, certainly in electric vehicles,” Shields told T3. “Apps are going to be key for us in doing this, whilst we haven't finalised the features for all of our upcoming apps yet, it is going to be as smart as the car.”

Harris echoed the opinion that apps are to play a pivotal role in turning smartphones into in-car entertainment hubs. He said: “You're going to have your iPhone, your Galaxy, whatever device you have and all we have to do with the app is enhance the abilities of the phone. As long as you can connect properly with the cloud you will be able to pull through data and content to the vehicle.”

Can you see smartphones becoming key content providers for in-car entertainment and other markets? Let us know what you think via the comments box below.