Nokia Car Mode for Nokia Belle based devices is now available at the Nokia Store. Nokia Car Mode provides easy access and simplified user interface to the most relevant applications for in-car use. The simplified user interface and well designed interaction creates less distraction for the driver than traditional smartphone user interface.

There are two versions of the Nokia Car Mode available, depending on the user preferences and availability of MirrorLink enabled car infotainment system on the region.

The first version of the Nokia Car Mode includes the MirrorLink and could require the user to update the phone software, http://store.ovi.com/content/234058

The second version of the Nokia Car Mode is provided without the MirrorLink, giving the user a good chance to get familiar with the Nokia Car Mode before MirrorLink enabled car infotainment system is available or before making a purchase decision, http://store.ovi.com/content/232236

Visit the Nokia Store for the downloads and additional information, feedback and any issues found can be reported through the Nokia Store support. If you are interested in developing applications for in-car use and to be placed within the Nokia Car Mode, please feel free to contact our team directly via email (automotive at nokia dot com).

Marko Tuukkanen
Senior Product Manager, Automotive, Nokia

When Car Connectivity Consortium was founded in February 2011, nobody expected the progress and growth that we have seen in last months. During this year the number of member companies increased rapidly reaching 39 at end of November, new MirrorLink consumer name and trademark were announced in September, member companies launched their first products and shared their commitment for further development of MirrorLink. With all the positive attention from press and other media throughout the year, the future for MirrorLink looks bright.

Still, if you have any doubts just the sheer numbers and the names of the of members companies should get anyone convinced. Charter members include now; Alpine, Daimler, General Motors, Honda, HTC, Hyundai Motor Company, LG Electronics, Nokia, Panasonic, PSA, Samsung, Toyota and Volkswagen. Core members include; AISIN AW, BT Software and Research Inc, BMW, Clarion Co. LTD., Delphi, Denso, FIAT, Fujitsu Ten, Ixonos, jambit GmbH, KDDI Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Motorola Mobility, Pioneer, RealVNC, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Sony Corporation, Sony Ericsson AB and Valeo. Adopter members include: Garmin International Inc, Hyundai Mobis, J & K Car Electronics Corp., MDS electronics, RENAULT S.A.S., Skypine and Tokai Rika Co., ltd.

MirrorLink opens up a window for new opportunities, providing access to data which was not previously available and opening up an environment where traditional smart phone applications have not yet been present. Driver distraction, regulations, and other safety aspects create also new requirements for the applications and developers. A traditional smart phone application hasn’t been designed for in-car use, and extra effort is required to make any smart phone application usable through the car infotainment system.

All companies are welcomed to join the Car Connectivity Consortium, and membership provides visibility to the development of MirrorLink(tm) standard, access to development and test tools, and a possibility to influence inside the Consortium. No company is too small to join, thus we encourage all application developers to join the Consortium.

 I hope to see many of you in the future Car Connectivity Consortium meetings,

 Marko Tuukkanen, Senior Product Manager, Automotive, Nokia

I hope that many of you had a chance to see the Nokia Car Mode and MirrorLink in London during this week. If you didn’t, there is no reason to panic. You can check the demo from Engadget, http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/27/nokia-drive-with-mirrorlink-on-toyota-touch-life-hands-on-video/.

Last month, I had the pleasure to attend my first MirrorLink Summit, which was conveniently held in Chicago for those of us who live in the United States. If you want to develop mobile apps to be used in the vehicle and you did *not* attend this event, then I truly feel sorry for you because you missed an opportunity to get a first-hand experience with the products and platforms that will be coming to the market in the near future. 

Let me give you a little perspective on why I’m excited about MirrorLink and the Car Connectivity Consortium. I’ve lived in the Detroit area for nearly 30 years, and I have worked for all three of the major US automakers. Needless to say, I’ve seen many "good ideas" come and go over the years associated with the automotive industry. I however, was very impressed by the pure momentum coming both from the automotive industry and the smart phone industry regarding the MirrorLink standard. 

The MirrorLink Summit kicked off with a warm introduction from Mika Rytkönen, the President of the Car Connectivity Consortium. Mika showed several slides throughout the day, but the most captivating was the slide below.

Caption 1. Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) Member Companies

Hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide use the products and services from the member companies within the CCC. I’m not going to give you a play-by-play recap of all the events that transpired during the summit (again, I reiterate, you should have been there) but I really enjoyed the keynote speech and words of wisdom presented by Paul Hochman, the Gear and Technology Editor of the NBC Today Show.

Caption 2. Paul Hochman Addressing the Audience of MirrorLink Summit Attendees

During the course of the event, Paul reminded the developers and decision-makers present to make the MirrorLink standard easy enough to use without a user’s manual, since statistics show that most people don’t read them anyway. I also enjoyed the panel discussion that had experts in various industries who fielded questions from a moderator and answered some questions from the audience. Most of all, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet face to face with various engineers, managers, and executives from the Car Connectivity Consortium and to see the various product demonstrations of MirrorLink for myself.

So, as a developer I strongly urge you to stay tuned to this blog, the Car Connectivity Consortium website, and the Consortium Twitter feed to stay up to date on new product announcements that will be happening with the Car Connectivity Consortium.

- Bruce Hopkins, BT Software and Research Inc, Car Connectivity Consortium Member

Today at the IAA (Internationale Automobil Ausstellung), Nokia announced Nokia Car Mode, a standalone application optimized for the in-car use of Nokia smartphones. Nokia Car Mode features an optimized user interface simplifying the access and use of Nokia Drive (voice-guided car navigation with Nokia Maps), traffic updates, music and voice calls while driving.

Nokia Car Mode is the first commercially available solution supporting MirrorLink, formerly known as Terminal Mode. MirrorLink is a standard smartphone-to-car connectivity platform driven by over 20 major global brands from across different industries within the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC). With MirrorLink, smartphones can be connected to in-car displays, car controls systems, and car audio systems. Thus consumers can control their smartphones via the car dashboard, as if the device and its apps were integrated into the car itself.

Full press release at http://press.nokia.com/2011/09/13/nokia-car-mode-drives-fusion-of-cars-with-smartphone-services/

Video presenting the Nokia Car Mode based on Mirrorlink solution from Alpine and Nokia is avilable at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdHBFsy930A

The Car Connectivity Consortium announced yesterday the launch of its MirrorLink™ trademark. The first MirrorLink products will be presented by multiple member companies at the IAA International Motor Show, taking place in Frankfurt, Germany, September 15-25, 2011. Press release is available at http://www.carconnectivity.org/en/Communication/pressrelease.

You might have seen the news on Car Connectivity Consortium LLC (CCC) been founded earlier this year. It was launched by 11 leading automotive, mobile communications and consumer electronics companies. This consortium targets to further develop in-vehicle connectivity solutions and standards. Current consortium members include e.g. Alpine, Daimler, General Motors, Honda, HTC, Hyundai Motor Company, LG Electronics, Nokia, Panasonic, PSA, Samsung, Toyota and Volkswagen. You can visit the CCC website at http://www.carconnectivity.org/.

Consortium also further develops the Nokia originated Terminal Mode standard. Terminal Mode offers a seamless connectivity between a mobile device and the in-vehicle infotainment system. Terminal Mode technology is extremely simple from the consumer perspective utilizing existing standards and technologies. Such examples include Universal Plug and Play (UPnP™), Virtual Networking Computing (VNC™), Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Bluetooth™. The mobile device can be controlled through the in-car touch display, control buttons, and steering wheel controls, when the connection is made via Terminal Mode.

As the consortium focuses on further developing the in-car connectivity standards, it will also create new business opportunities for application developers. Keep your eyes open and stay tuned for more news!

With best regards,

Marko Tuukkanen, Senior Product Manager, Nokia Automotive