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Hyundai Now Offers an Android Car, Even For Current Owners

Posted by timothy on from the one-way-to-spin-it dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Looking more like a computer company than a car company, Hyundai ships Android Auto on 2015 Sonatas and unlocks it for owners of the 2015 Sonata with a software update. Says the article: To enable Android Auto, existing 2015 Hyundai Sonata owners outfitted with the Navigation feature can download an update to a USB drive, plug it into the car's USB port, and rewrite the software installed in the factory on the head-unit. When the smartphone is plugged into the head-unit with a USB cable, the user is prompted to download Android Auto along with mobile apps. Android Auto requires Android 5.0 or above. That sounds like a good description of how I'd like my car's head unit to work -- and for that matter, I'd like access to all of the software.

2 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. New fangled technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have a 12 year old BMW with an integrated navigation system. It works very well indeed. It is simple to use.

    What I hate about the newer model BMW's is that the UI has become extremely complicated. It is not any easier to use and I actually find it slower.

    I'm not convinced at all that things are improving.

  2. If you can update the software... by QuietLagoon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...I'd like access to all of the software.

    Given the current state of security in "smart" automobiles, who would want to be able for anyone to plug something into the USB port of the car's entertainment system and completely update the software for the car?

    .
    Isn't that just asking for your car to be hacked?