The market for smart phone applications—or “apps”—has emerged as a central battlefront in the global technology industry, with device manufacturers, wireless service providers and software developers fighting it out for a share of this fast-growing market. This contest now has spread to the automotive market, as illustrated at the 2009

Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (IAA) in September, otherwise known as the Frankfurt Motor Show, where BMW, Nokia and Parrot SA all unveiled different approaches to bringing smart-phone apps to cars.

The global automotive industry has entered an exciting phase with OEMs, suppliers and software developers all pushing innovative and unique approaches to add apps to cars, according to iSuppli Corp. For software developers, this opens a whole new domain to sell their apps. For car makers, apps provide new ways to deliver infotainment and telematics services to customers. For motorists, apps allow them to enjoy their infotainment systems to the fullest, while paying only for the applications they want, thus saving them money. With apps so critical to the automotive market, companies are pushing approaches that benefit their specific goals. While the solutions shown at IAA were only concepts, they clearly reflect what will soon be on the market.

The Automaker Approach

BMW used IAA to unveil its newest aspect of its ConnectedDrive offerings: the Concept BMW Application Store. The store offers several different apps to users who can then download them to their iDrive via the car or a home PC and then transfer them to the car. So far, the apps available include multimedia travel guides from Merian, Geowiki, various games, Web radio, podcasts, Facebook, XING and Twitter. The Concept BMW Application Store also allows users to transfer contact data to the navigation system or mobile phone. The apps also are able to pull vehicle-related information, for example, taking the car’s location into account when using the social networking tool XING. BMW in the future also hopes to have a constant stream of new apps available for users.


The Cellular Solution

Leading cell-phone maker Nokia, which recently bought map provider Navteq, introduced its concept approach at IAA as well. Nokia’s approach is more about mobile device integration with the vehicle rather than introducing applications. But it was not just a simple iPod connection or Bluetooth connection that Nokia introduced; rather, it was a cable that brings the entire functionality of the smart phone or other device to the vehicle.

The Nokia Research Center demonstrated that it is developing a cable that connects a phone and the vehicle’s headunit. This would allow for all of the phone’s functions to appear on the vehicle’s headunit display and be controlled by voice, touch screen, or whatever human-machine interface the vehicle uses. Users would be familiar with the user-interface as it would be the same one as on the phone.

Also, since the headunit is usually connected to a car’s Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, the Nokia concept allows for the exchange of information between the device and the vehicle, enabling the display of fuel levels or map-based ADAS alerts. Although Nokia demonstrated a cable, it is developing a system that works by Bluetooth. The demonstration also used a Magneti Marelli headunit, but Nokia stated it can be used with any headunit and any mobile device.


The Supplier Scheme

Wireless equipment supplier Parrot unveiled a new headunit at Frankfurt that is Android-Java-based. The company’s FC6100 module offers automotive implementation of all smart phone features. The headunit itself includes hands-free Bluetooth, A2DP audio streaming, speaker-independent voice recognition, multimedia connectivity, smart track browsing and playlist management, 3G+ Web browsing and 3.0 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

While all of these features are appealing, it is the Android/Java based Operating System (OS) that is most intriguing. The Android/Java OS allows for an easily customizable user interface for OEMs, plus a vast open-source community of developers. In fact, applications that are developed for smart phones that use Android can also be used for this module. Developers do not have to develop something separately for the car. This means that hundreds of applications are already available for the module.

Battle for the Planet of the Apps

The various apps solutions shown at IAA provided something for every automotive OEM. For car makers that want to control content and not have to worry about installing new hardware, then BMW’s solution is optimal. If OEMs want to give the customer freedom plus a hardware solution with multiple connectivity pipes, Parrot is the solution. If OEMs want to give that same freedom at a cheaper price with minimal design changes, Nokia’s concept is the way to go.

Whichever way the automakers go, mobile apps are going to become more readily available in the vehicle. Although IAA only showed concepts of how to accomplish this, it is only a matter of time before solutions are realized.


[isuppli]

• Geeze Louise! Apple has already had 500 million applications downloaded via the iTunes App Store. - IntoMobile
• Circuit City first announced that they were filing for bankruptcy last November. Well they are now beginning to liquidate all remaining stores. - Boing Boing
• Get this - 35 percent of adult Internet users now have profiles on at least one social networking site. Love that! - USA Today
• A cool site called iTrackMine will help you keep all of your personal belongings nice and organized. - Lifehacker
• Sony's new Vaio P gets taken for a test drive. See what the verdict is on its performance. - Gizmodo

[geeksugar]

Apple is notoriously obsessed with details. Apple iPhone software exec Scott Forstall is no exception. "I actually have a photographer's loupe that I use to make sure every pixel is right," he once told Time magazine. "We will argue over literally a single pixel."

So there's no way the 35 apps pictured in four of Apple's (AAPL) recent iPhone TV commercials are there by accident -- even the ones that aren't in focus. Whether Apple and its ad agency are fond of the apps' icons, design, names, features, or developers, we're confident the apps are there on purpose.

The big winners: The four companies whose apps are demoed -- embedded below:

• Loopt, a mobile social network that lets you track your friends on a map and see who else is nearby.
  
• Shazam, an app that figures out what song you're listening to on the radio, in the car, etc.
• Urbanspoon, which helps you find nearby restaurants, read reviews, etc.
• At Bat, Major League Baseball's excellent score tracking/video highlights app.

The runners up: The other 31 companies whose apps are pictured -- but not featured -- in the TV spots, some more visible than others. In the apps' alphabetical order:

• 2 Across: Crossword puzzles from the New York Times, The Onion, and others.
• AIM: AOL's (TWX) instant messenger app.
• BigTipper: Tip calculator.
• Bloom: Music app: Part instrument, part composer, part artwork.
• Chanel: The latest fashion pictures and videos from Chanel.
• Comic Touch: Ad comic book-like captions, effects to your photos.
• Crazy Disco: Disco ball. "An instant party in your pocket."
• DiggTest: We assume this is a test for a future Digg app.
• Drum Kit: Virtual drums.
• eBay: Follow, bid on eBay (EBAY) auctions.
• Facebook: Keep track of your friends, look at photos, etc.
• FingerSound: Create "interesting" and "wild" sounds.
• Flights: Called "Flight Tracker" in iTunes. Airline schedules, flight tracking.
• French: French-English dictionary.
• German: German-English dictionary.
• iGolf: Motion sensor-powered golf game.
• KICKMap: NYC subway map.
• Koi Pond: Watch fish swim in a pond setting, poke them to make them swim away.
• Mobile News: News from the Associated Press.
• Monkey Ball: Sega's Super Monkey Ball game.
• Otis: Puzzle game similar to "Same Game."
• Pianist: Pocket piano.
• Pitch2Note: Turns audio into musical notes.
• Places: Location based restaurant finder with a nice, SimCity-like icon.
• Recorder: Voice recorder app.
• SpeakEasy: Voice recorder app.
• Tap Guitar: Virtual guitar.
• Taxi: Call a taxi in major cities.
• Tuner: Internet radio app.
• WineSnob: Wine info, food pairings, price tracking, etc.
• Yelp: User-submitted restaurant, bar, shopping reviews, etc.

Why so many food and music apps? The apps in a few of the commercials keep a loose theme -- music apps in the Shazam spot, food apps in the Urbanspoon spot, etc. Likewise, what's missing? More games! But Apple has promoted many of those in a separate commercial for the iPod touch, including "Tap Tap Revenge" and "Labyrinth."

[alleyinsider]

The days of buying packaged software loaded onto CDs are numbered. Today, Microsoft quietly drove another nail into the coffin of packaged software by launching the Microsoft Store on the Web. After testing the software download store in Europe and Korea, Microsoft opened up its U.S. version today.

The store sells all Microsoft software from Office to Xbox 360 games. Instead of shipping the software in the mail, you download it over the Web. Just like you can download apps directly to your iPhone from the iTunes App Store, the Microsoft Store takes the same approach for its own PC and server software. (It does not distribute mobile apps or software made by other companies).

CEO Steve Ballmer hinted this would happen last week. But the company did not make a big deal about today’s launch, perhaps not wanting to alieante any of its retail distribution partners. . Microsoft program manager Trevin Chow put out the word on his personal blog, explaining the benefits of Electronic Software Distribution (ESD):

You pay for an ESD product just like you would for one that would be physically shipped to you. The big difference is that after your payment is confirmed, you can immediately download the product to your computer and install it right away. There is no longer any need to pay for shipping costs and waiting for the big brown truck to drive across the country. You’ll be able to enjoy your software almost immediately – all it takes is the download time of the product, which will vary depending on the size of the digital download.

The obvious fear for most users buying ESD products is not having the software on physical media to re-install the product at a later time. Microsoft Store solves this by letting you re-download the product until mainstream support for the product ends. Typically this is 5 years after the product is released. You always have the option of copying the downloaded products to physical media if you want to have it available longer than the mainstream support lifetime.

The store also sells Microsoft peripherals such as Xbox 360 consoles, computer mice and keyboards (those need to be shipped).

[techcrunch]