No one platform will be perfect, whatever the claims made by its creators.  Android has its own limitations:

• Limited Resolution Support

• In Android 1.1 and 1.5 (Cupcake), the display was limited to support Half-VGA (320×480) resolution on a single screen
• Android 1.6 (Donut), and Android 2.0, 2.1 (Éclair) and Android 2.2 (FroYo)  supports 480×854 on multiple screens
• Android 3.0 (Gingerbread) is supposed to have larger screen support.  Let’s wait and see.

• Start-up time is optimized for phones and is a challenge in automotive where the system has to be completely powered-off

We see a lot of press now on Android for automotive.  We are glad to be on the forefront of that wave, having adopted it as our automotive platform in 2008.

Why Android for automotive?

Android’s value as an automotive platform comes from its rich set of features which are a part of the framework:

• Media playback
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Network connectivity
• Field Upgrade
• Basic Driver support
• Android Marketplace (not yet available for non-phones)

These features that Google designed for mobile phones, is applicable as much inside the automobile.

Android for Automotive Enhancements

• AM/FM Radio and High-def Radio (HDR) Application and Driver support
• CAN bus support
• Vehicle Diagnostics Application
• Fast boot