-
your Windows® embedded community
Windows For Devices
your Windows® embedded community
According to KMA, Uvo will make its debut this summer in the new 2011 Kia Sorrento crossover (pictured above), and will later be extended to additional Kia vehicles. It's said users will be able to access media and make phone calls via simple voice commands such as "What's playing?" The system will respond via speech synthesis, allowing drivers to keep their eyes safely focused on the road, the company adds.
Uvo will be an "open platform that seamlessly integrates with a wide variety of mobile phones, music players and other devices," according to KMA. The system will feature a 4.3-inch, full-color display that not only provides detailed information on media content, phonebook data and vehicle information, but also doubles as a rear-view camera when the shifter is put in reverse, says the company.
KMA says Uvo will also feature 1GB of media storage, allowing users to rip music from CDs or an MP3 player into personal MyMusic folders, for storage of up to 250 songs. The system can shuffle through a connected MP3 player or AM/FM and Sirius radio stations, the company adds.
Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing for KMA, stated, "Uvo ... is a breakthrough for in-vehicle infotainment that helps allow drivers and passengers to safely and easily use all of their personal technologies to create personalized in-vehicle communications and entertainment experiences. Collaborating with Microsoft, Kia Motors is able to offer drivers an experience that will provide our cars with a clear competitive advantage."
Kevin Dallas, general manager of Microsoft's Windows Embedded division, stated, "We are very excited with the customized approach Kia Motors is bringing to in-car infotainment. Kia's Uvo system demonstrates how the power of Windows Embedded technology can keep consumers connected to the devices, information and entertainment that matters to them most."
Background
KMA refers to the technology platform behind Uvo as "Windows Embedded Auto," which marks yet another name for Microsoft's Windows CE-based automotive technology. Microsoft's Windows CE for Automotive was first released in 1998, since when it has evolved into a variety of product offerings. For example, in 2003 it was called Windows Automotive (2003), and by 2006 it was known as Windows Mobile for Automotive.
Unlike with many Microsoft products, however, naming is secondary, since the core technology is designed to be adapted by automaker customers and offered under their own brands. For example, the Windows CE-based software made its debut in Europe and South America on Fiat vehicles, where it is known as Blue&Me. It was then released in the U.S. by Ford as Sync, on passenger cars. Kia, meanwhile, announced its plans to offer Microsoft technology back in May 2008.
Even though the auto industry is still in dire straits, generally speaking, the addition of Microsoft technology has apparently helped drive sales. Ford, which first introduced Sync two years ago, said as of last March that the technology is now installed in more than one million vehicles. In January, the automaker said it would expand its system to include the following new elements:
