The influence of consumer electronics in our life has been profound. Devices such as smart phones, portable audio players and portable navigation devices have generated an accelerated pace of change that has been a challenge for most automotive OEMs to manage.
One such change has been to so-called connectivity. Car owners want gadgets that enable smooth connectivity to the car environment, with the same level of features and ease of use they have at workstations: background synchronization, flexibility, upgrades, personalization and standardization. This new set of requirements is changing the automotive industry in an exciting and profound way.
The paper will look at challenges that arise when bringing consumer electronics into the automobile, with a focus on time to market. It will review creative solutions being offered today by some semiconductor companies to overcome challenges generated by this new paradigm. This approach offers complete software solutions rather than only silicon and brings a unique opportunity to the semiconductor industry, transforming hardware suppliers into solutions providers.