Toyota’s Entune Multimedia System Battles Ford’s Sync

 New system brings several popular applications together in one easily accessible in-car setup.

The mobile media and entertainment market is exploding in the U.S., with smart phone sales expected to overtake basic feature phone sales (which made up just 16 percent of phone sales just two years ago) by the end of 2011. That means more people will be using mobile apps to surf the Internet, stream music, and otherwise entertain themselves.

Toyota aims to capitalize on this emerging market via Entune, a new system that brings several popular applications together in one easily accessible in-car set-up, using smart phones as the connection.

Bundled into a navigation technology package in the Toyota Camry, Prius V (a new Prius mini-wagon), and Tacoma, Entune will offer applications and services through content providers like Bing, Open Table, Pandora, iheartradio, and MovieTickets.com.

Entune lets Toyota compete with Ford’s Sync and MyFord Touch systems, which were originally introduced in 2007 with assistance from Microsoft. Ford recently updated its systems to integrate with smart phones. Hyundai will shortly debut Blue Link, which bundles speech-to-text messaging, pay-to-play navigation assistance, speed-alert and geo-fencing (which sends text alert notifications to parents or guardians of minors when their teen’s car leaves a predefined area), and real-time traffic information. (Blue Link’s SOS and crash-notification signals go through an on-board cellular signal and do not use an owner’s handset.)

Entune’s operating system connects a driver’s mobile phone to access Toyota’s app store, stream audio, and download software updates. Using your Android, Blackberry, or iPhone as the data link, Entune provides access to Microsoft’s Bing search engine, ClearChannel’s iheartradio music service, and the Pandora music service. The system also provides XM satellite radio, HD radio, old-fashioned terrestrial radio, and includes a USB port to connect iPods and other audio devices. It’s also Bluetooth enabled. Like MyFord Touch, Entune funnels real-time traffic info, weather, sports scores, and stock prices to the central display. You can even search for low fuel prices.

Voice recognition reduces the potential for driver distraction, too, whether the driver is searching for music or running the navigation system. The smart phone is your service provider when operational, so the operator only needs to follow prompts on the touch screen when moving, or a more in-depth interface when stationary.

“It’s far more logical to rely on a consumer’s handset for music and entertainment for linkage, as these are much more updatable than an entire car,” says Michelle Avary, the national sales and marketing manager for the Advanced Tech Group at Toyota.

The Entune head unit includes five mobile apps and six data services, plus HD radio. Tweddle Group Technologies of Bellevue, Wash. provides the servers and created the app that customers download to their handset. The system doesn’t require the latest smart phone to run, nor will it become obsolete every model year.

The long-term challenge with services and data streams like these is having a ubiquitous cellular signal no matter where you are. “Even though the system can cache and buffer to prevent dropouts, there are places where there will be service interruptions just by the very nature of cellular service, regardless of the network,” says Avary. “We are service-agnostic, though; this system works regardless of which carrier you use for your handset.”

Source: autos.yahoo.com