Smart in-car tech: no need to wait for the Apple Car!
The Apple Car may never happen, but there’s plenty of smart tech that you can use in your vehicle already
Despite all the rumors, it’s still not clear whether Apple is planning to develop its own self-driving smart car, or simply focus on intelligent driving software that it could license to other manufacturers. In any event, nobody is expecting the famously secretive company to unveil the Apple Car for a few years yet at least.
In the meantime, there are still plenty of ways to add some Apple tech to your car – or buy a car that has Apple software built right into them. Apple’s CarPlay technology is a display and controller for your dashboard that enables you to control key iPhone apps. If your vehicle supports CarPlay (see
apple.co/2j2vFSc) and has a compatible screen installed on its dashboard, you can connect your iPhone to it and see and interact with apps such as Maps, Messages, and Music without handling the phone. You can use Siri for handsfree voice commands, telling it to play your favourite playlist, for example, or “call the office” so you can tell someone you’re stuck in traffic.
CarPlay made big strides in 2016, and there are now dozens of manufacturers, from Audi
to Volkswagen, that include CarPlay as a standard feature in many of their latest models. But you don’t need to go out and buy a brand new car, as there are plenty of car accessories that allow you to use your iPhone while you’re driving.
Safety is all-important, of course, and there are many handsfree kits that use Bluetooth to connect to your iPhone so that you can make or take calls without taking your hands off the wheel.
Many of these will also allow you to talk to Siri while you’re driving, with prices starting as low as $20 for a basic model such as the Besign Car Kit. One of our favorite handsfree kits is the Parrot MiniKit Neo 2 HD, which is a little more expensive at around $70, but includes additional features, such as an app that remembers the location of your car when you park. We’re also fans of Pioneer’s range of receivers, especially the AVH-X3800BHS ($230), which provides HD Radio, Sirius XM compatibility, and voice integration with Siri.
Sat-nav systems are probably the smart car tech most people are familiar with. TomTom makes a number of affordable models, starting from $90, and there’s the Garmin nüvi range starting at around $100.
If you really want to give your wheels a hightech upgrade, you can choose from several in-car entertainment systems also made by Pioneer. These include its own dashboard displays and full support for CarPlay, with prices starting at around $400 for its entry-level SPH-DA120. Some of Pioneer’s CarPlay systems also allow you to connect a rear-facing camera, so that you can view the camera image on the dashboard screen to help you with parking, although these tend to be more high-end models costing $700 or above.
Because we’re fans of JBL’s speaker systems, we’re very much looking forward to its first entry into the automobile market – the forthcoming Legend CP100. Like its Pioneer rivals, the Legend will include a dashboard display with support for CarPlay, and an option for connecting a rear-view camera, although it should be more affordably priced at $400. The launch of the Legend was delayed after Apple updated CarPlay along with iOS 10 last September, but it’s now due for release in early 2017.
Cameras are another technology that’s getting more popular in cars. It started with professionals using action-cams stuck onto the dashboard for recording footage during races, or for TV shows
such as Top Gear. The action-cam specialists at GoPro quickly saw the potential here and released a series of dashboard mounts and accessories for the company’s popular Hero cameras, and you can get a kit that includes the Hero5 camera and complete set of car accessories starting at around $300.
There’s a more down-to-earth use for these dash-cams too. Apart from anything else, the footage from a dash-cam could prove that you weren’t at fault in the event of an accident, saving you money and headaches. Some insurance companies will also offer discounts if you have a dash-cam in your car. You can get a basic dash-cam such as the Haoponer dual-camera for around $55, but it might be worth looking at a more advanced models such as the WheelWitness HD Pro ($125) or Thinkware F750 ($250), which include additional safety features, such as collision warnings in case you get too close to the car in front, or start to veer across lanes.
A lot of accidents happen when drivers are reversing, and a new category of “back-up cams” has recently appeared that can be attached to the back of a vehicle in order to provide a clearer view than you get from your normal rear-view mirror. As we’ve mentioned, dashboard systems such as the JBL Legend allow you to connect to a rear-view camera and display the image on their dashboard screens, and there are several companies that make rear-view cameras, such as the low-cost BC30 from Garmin ($150).
Thinkware also makes a number of kits that include both front and rear cameras, such as the Dash Cam X550, which is fairly expensive at around $300, but includes advanced features such as GPS tracking, and the ability to warn you of nearby traffic cameras. It even has a Mac app for viewing your recorded footage on your computer, in case you want to create a library of driving videos.
a new category of “back-up cams” has recently appeared that can be attached to the back of a vehicle