Jaguar Land Rover improves the art of phone tag

Connectivity is a key technology for anyone who carries a mobile phone in one hand a set of car keys in the other.

Jaguar Land Rover today announced what many expected from Apple or Google. JLR and Silicon Valley-based CloudCar have developed a multi-purpose app – justDrive (sic) – which is a control interface between JLR's infotainment platform and popular smart-phone apps such as Spotify, Twitter, and Yelp.

What justDrive does is simplify access and control of personal apps and information on your mobile phone via the car's voice-recognition system or touch screen controls. "We're on the cusp of an app age in terms of in-car connectivity," said Peter Virk, Head of Connected Technology at JLR.

In the race to improve car connectivity with the smart phone, justDrive gives JLR bragging rights for now. Apple is expected to launch CarPlay very soon, and Google claims it is very near releasing its connectivity platform AndroidAuto.

Brands like Honda and BMW are working closely with Apple and Google to develop their own connectivity platforms which, says Uwe Higgen, BMW Head of Group Technology for the US market, "allows BMW to maintain its own platform to preserve our unique brand qualities of design to enhance the premium experience."

Higgen claims he meets weekly with Apple and Google to develop BMW's own connectivity platform, which he admits will not be offered for at least a year.

Honda is much nearer to release of its HondaLink connectivity platform, claims Nick Sugimoto, Senior Program Director at Honda's Silicon Valley office.

"The mobile phone industry moves quickly," said Sugimoto. "The car industry does not. We should make the car more flexible to keep up with the mobile phone industry."

No matter the brand of car or phone, higher levels of connectivity are coming with the main goals of improving safety, convenience and access of personal information, and the overall driving experience.

Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology, JLR, said: "Our InControl system already allows the driver to plug their smartphone into the vehicle and then safely control their apps through the vehicle's touchscreen. Today, we are advancing our InControl system a stage further with the launch of justDrive. This moves the driver from the touch-based use of individual apps to full control of all chosen app content through plain natural speech or touch interface."

JustDrive then decides which smart phone app to use to play a requested song or to tweet or SMS a short message. It reduces the overall mental workload on the driver allowing the driver to remain more focused driving.  

Emblematic of JLR's increased focus on connectivity and smart technology systems, JustDrive interacts directly with InControl; however, InControl is not yet available across the JLR vehicle range. InControl will be available across all JLR models from Model Year 2016. And for those who already have InControl on their Jag or Land Rover, you can download the justDrive app free of charge for Apple iOS8. It will be available for Android early in 2015.

"While our aim is to significantly enhance the driving experience through unprecedented levels of connectivity, we also want to reduce driver distraction," said Epple. "Using speech as a key enabler, together with justDrive's simple user interface, means we show only essential information to help create a safe, non-distracting driving environment."