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In the end, though, the only line that customers care about is the bottom line in terms of connectivity.
Telematics and infotainment appear to be on a collision course within the automobile. The terms themselves have caused some confusion. Telematics refers to the combination of telecommunications and informatics, basically wireless communication. Infotainment indicates the combination of information and entertainment. Even the analysts can't agree on what differentiates telematics and infotainment.
"You call five different people, you are going to get five different answers," says Mark Fitzgerald, senior industry analyst, Strategy Analytics. "We drew a line in the sand with telematics, saying that it needs to have GPS capability and two-way communications." For example, wireless, hands-free talking through a Bluetooth connection is considered infotainment, not telematics.
According to Fitzgerald, the connectivity of portable devices is really pushing market acceptance. "That's why Sync has been very popular, very quickly," he says. Ford says that its dealers have sold vehicles featuring its Sync infotainment system, which was introduced in the company's 2008 vehicles, twice as quickly as those without the system.
CONECTIVITY
When it comes to wireless connectivity, cellular, GPS, satellite, and broadcast AM and FM are well-established technologies for vehicles. Wireless protocols emerging for vehicle usage include Wi-Fi, WiMAX broadband and 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) (broadband cellular), Radio Data System (RDS), and perhaps more. Increasingly popular navigation systems require GPS technology to precisely identify the vehicle's location.
SiRF, a member of the CSR plc Group of companies and a leading GPS IC supplier, partnered with M/A-COM Technology Solutions to help create a networked GPS module. The new GPS transceiver provides location information to the new generation of vehicle-based communications and entertainment systems. To simplify system design, the unit's antenna efficiency and receiver sensitivity allow for installation almost anywhere on the vehicle, including hidden mounting locations (Fig. 1).
For other wireless applications, Brian Droessler, director of Connectivity Group North America for Continental Automotive Systems, points out the difference between wireless alternatives depending on the transmission requirements. For example, the vehicle can receive traffic data from an RDS channel on the FM band, a satellite radio connection, or a cellular two-way communication. A one-to-many broadcast scheme works well for traffic information. However, a driver or passenger who...