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Toyota Teams With Microsoft On Connected Cars (usatoday.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from USA TODAY: Toyota announced an enhanced relationship with Microsoft on Monday aimed at delivering "connected car" services to drivers in ways they probably never could have imagined. Already, drivers ask the infotainment system in their cars for restaurant recommendations, but many locations often would require that a driver turn around. But with Toyota Connected, the system might be modified to only recommend restaurants on the highway ahead -- and then only the kinds of food that the driver usually prefers. Road information can be delivered to drivers based on driving patterns -- knowing the routes they usually take. Auto insurance could be priced more accurately because the system could report on a driver's actual miles and routes traveled. Medical-related sensors could also be built into the car, like heartbeat monitors or sensors on the steering wheel. Some of the services could be offered to customers wirelessly by being beamed directly into their cars, but Lobenstein said that customer privacy considerations will be paramount. Toyota Connected hopes to have its first products within a year. Toyota Connected, as it's called, is built on Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform. Toyota plans to invest $5.5 million in the new venture, even though much of the technology will be based on their current research and development for smart automobiles.
This is exactly why I will never buy a car with a touch screen. Or flat buttons on the dashboard.
As it is, my 80s turbo shitbox has better design. Every button can be reached comfortably, every switch and button can be used by feel alone so I never have to take my eyes off the road.
Meanwhile, in the [CURRENT YEAR], we have touch screens and dashboards with a million flat square buttons that all feel the same.
http://imgur.com/a/HOWaH
See this shit? This drives me up the fucking wall.