Nokia Terminal Mode, futuro connesso per la car radio?

Appare sempre più ibrido e connaturato all'evoluzione delle infrastruttura non-broadcast il futuro della "radiofonia", soprattutto in mobilità e a bordo dell'automobile. Con il suo sistema di car-infotainment "connesso" (a Internet wireless), SYNC, Ford ha accumulato un paio di milioni di spettatori. Per non essere da meno, Nokia sta creando un capillare sistema di alleanze per fare in modo che il telefonino si integri in modo sempre più fluido con i dispositivi multimediali di bordo, fornendo la connettività necessaria attraverso le reti di terza (e presto quarta) generazione. Nel marzo di quest'anno Nokia aveva presentato insieme al consorzio tedesco CE4A Consumer Electronics for Automotive l'iniziativa Terminal Mode (qui il comunicato di allora) e qui un documento disponibile, insieme ad altri e alla versione 0.9 delle specifiche, sul sito dell'iniziativa. Il 23 giugno si è svolto con Nokia e i produttori come Alpine e NavTeq, un Summit di cui è possibile prelevare i materiali informativi. Molti altri costruttori -Clarion, Harman, la stessa Magneti Marelli - hanno dato il loro appoggio all'iniziativa. Terminal Mode è un complesso framework per il controllo delle connessioni tra i dispositivi di car navigation, informazione e intrattenimento, con le funzioni di connettività e le applicazioni dei telefonini.

Qui di seguito ecco un interessante approfondimento di ABI Research su questa tematica, che si sta giocando tutta sul confronto tra sistemi embedded, dispositivi esterni stand alone (come appunto gli smartphone) e combinazioni ibride stile Terminal Mode. Come si inseriscono in tale contesto le varie proposte di digitalizzazione del modello radiofonico broadcast? Nulla impedisce di immaginare una loro integrazione, proprio considerando la natura ibrida delle iniziative di Nokia e altri protagonisti del mondo dell'ITC orientato a Internet. E neppure di pensare che la radiofonia numerica possa rappresentare una opportunità a sé stante, anche in una semplice ottica di sostituzione delle tecnologie attuali. Resta il fatto che il car-infotainment di tipo non-broadcast come quello definito da Terminal Mode coinvolge aziende e marchi di enorme richiamo come Nokia e poggia su infrastrutture sempre più consolidate, capillari e in fase di costante evoluzione. Non sono qualcosa di calato dall'alto (HD Radio/IBOC) o uno standard consolidato solo nelle cronache specializzate come queste e in una lunga sequela di test perlopiù fallimentari.

Terminal Mode and Nokia’s Automotive Ambitions

Even though the connected car concept is firmly established, opinions still diverge on how connectivity should be brought to the car: via embedded solutions, using phones and connected portable consumer devices, or by combining both in a hybrid configuration. Ford has already made great strides in the hybrid space, recently announcing its 2 millionth SYNC customer, but handset vendor Nokia is also ramping up its activities in this area.

Nokia and Harman Automotive Division have agreed to cooperate on developing a standard defining the seamless integration of smart phone connectivity into in-car infotainment head units and systems, capitalizing on the synergy between the rich smart phone feature set and high quality embedded and safe display and audio user interface real estate via streamlined information exchange. Critical car data such as low oil or fuel warnings can be fed back to the phone to allow telematics type services such as service alerts including navigating to the nearest dealership or gas station. Other ideas include ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System)-based safety features, and available parking searches.

Challenges include the adaptation of content optimized for smart phones for display on the much larger, higher resolution car screen, the seamless integration of touch and voice user interfaces, and Wi-Fi and/or USB connectivity for optimized battery life and convenience. The main focus seems to be on entry- and mid-level systems. The Harman partnership follows previous agreements between Nokia and Alpine Electronics, Continental, Fiat, Magneti Marelli, and Valmet Automotive.

Nokia Research Center and the German CE4A (Consumer Electronics for Automotive) consortium recently released the open Terminal Mode specification attempting to create an industry standard for the integration of mobile handsets and applications into cars. CE4A members include Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche, and Volkswagen. The set of specifications (Terminal Mode Release Candidate v0.9) can be downloaded for free on the Nokia website not even requiring elaborate registration. Areas covered include connectivity protocol stacks for USB and WLAN, authentication and security, Virtual Network Computing (VNC), audio output / input, and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) architecture protocols. The aim is to use existing open, non-proprietary standards on top of which custom interfaces can be built. A Terminal Mode Summit was held on June 23rd.

Nokia clearly has several assets it is keen to leverage in industries beyond mobile; one of them is automotive. With the ownership of digital map maker NAVTEQ – which traditionally holds a strong position in the automotive market – and Ovi Maps turn-by-turn navigation functionality being the best known assets, Nokia’s “Comes with Music” service lends itself equally well for integration into vehicles. In both cases the advantages of free mobile services are combined with the convenience, quality, and safety of embedded in-car facilities. In the case of navigation, this might well represent one more nail in the coffin for PNDs.

Moreover, Nokia’s efforts in cross platform development via Qt and its partnership with Intel on the MeeGo platform are clearly aimed at non-mobile segments such as automotive, digital home, and the portable consumer electronics markets. Adoption by the automotive infotainment GENIVI alliance – of which Intel is a founding member - is anticipated in the medium term.

While embedded systems will continue to dominate the safety and security telematics segments, there is no doubt smart phones will become an important factor in automotive infotainment. However, aligning the fast evolving mobile industry with the long development and product lifecycles of the conservative automotive industry has proven to be a major challenge for all players involved. With mobile and automotive brands finally cooperating on standards there is now a real prospect this can finally happen.

With its smart phone dominance increasingly being challenged, it is no surprise Nokia is keen to explore new opportunities in the automotive industry to generate additional revenue and strengthen its brand. However, other mobile players such as RIM, having recently acquired automotive operating system market leader QNX, and Google, positioning its open source Android platform beyond mobile phones, have no intention of letting Nokia dominate this new market segment.