Broadening telematics' reach

More infotainment options pose many challenges.

While few drivers are getting e-mail or checking stock quotes from their cars, the telematics field is booming now that it has become a broad umbrella term that includes multiple aspects of infotainment. Various market analysts say that MP3 usage has quadrupled in recent years, while satellite radio subscriptions have grown at an even faster clip. Those are a couple of the services now grouped into telematics, which has definitions that include any information that is brought into the vehicle. Managing the many elements of navigation, telephony and infotainment provide numerous challenges for those who must bring together many types of inputs from many different providers.

“You've got products from five to 10 different vendors-voice recognition, echo canceling, Bluetooth, networking, graphics-that all have to come together,” said Dan Mender, Director of Business Development at Green Hills Software.