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Microsoft, Toyota team up on digital auto network

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by ggood, Apr 6, 2011.

  1. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    UPDATE 1-Microsoft, Toyota team up on digital auto network | Reuters

    "The world's biggest software company and the biggest automaker said they were investing 1 billion yen or about $12 million in Toyota Media Service Co, a Toyota unit that handles its digital offerings for customers. The unit will focus on combining telecommunications and data for drivers in the form of GPS, multimedia, and managing power on electric and hybrid vehicles."
     
    #1 ggood, Apr 6, 2011
  2. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    #2 KK6PD, Apr 6, 2011
  3. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Is it me or does this whole thing sound like it's going to be a complete nightmare for Toyota?

    I mean Microsoft of ALL people!!! If the system is going to be anything like my laptop then you'll be ok for a couple years and then it'll keep hanging and rebooting. I'm also worried by reading the above link by KK6PD.

    Toyota - DON'T DO IT! It'll end in tears!

    BBC News - Toyota and Microsoft announce technology partnership
     
    #3 GrumpyCabbie, Apr 7, 2011
  4. billnchristy

    billnchristy Active Member

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    I like my Sync.
     
    #4 billnchristy, Apr 7, 2011
  5. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    I've worked with Microsoft on joint development projects. I can't say that I would recommend it.

    Tom
     
    #5 qbee42, Apr 7, 2011
  6. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    The phrase "blue screen of death" could take on a whole new meaning.
     
    #6 richard schumacher, Apr 7, 2011
  7. PaJa

    PaJa Senior member

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    the question is what Toyota will do with the MS platform. My car has MS Windows HU and no reset in last 10 months.:cheer2:
     
    #7 PaJa, Apr 7, 2011
  8. frankygreens

    frankygreens New Member

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    that is really cool
     
    #8 frankygreens, Apr 7, 2011
  9. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    And a car has a 10 year+ lifespan. Any faith I ever may have had in Microsoft has slowly been destroyed over the many products of theirs that I have used.

    When I replace my laptop in the next 18 months I will be switching to Apple. Maybe that could be a case of out of the frying pan into the fire, but it surely can't be a worse experience?

    God help us with an MS product in a car!
     
    #9 GrumpyCabbie, Apr 7, 2011
  10. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    I got off the "MS drug" a year ago and all I can say is life is much easier now.

    Toyota and MS? :eek: That will be a mistake, or worse.
     
    #10 DavidA, Apr 7, 2011
  11. wheezyglider

    wheezyglider Active Member

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    No need to panic just yet. The article says:
    So we're talking about back-end (server) stuff running on Microsoft's cloud platform. What's embedded in the car itself doesn't necessarily have to be Windows-based. In fact, a quick google search tells me that QNX is the embedded operating system chosen for Toyota's Entune devices.

    So you'll probably have local Entune apps (on QNX in your car) talking to MS Windows Azure servers in the cloud. Nothing wrong with that...

    But for my 2010 I'm really hoping for a third party Android-based headunit to replace the Toyota nav. Then I could run anyone's apps, not just the ones Toyota decides to develop and offer via Entune. :D
     
    #11 wheezyglider, Apr 7, 2011
  12. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    That's good to hear. If they have trouble with the MS servers they can switch over to Linux boxes.

    Tom
     
    #12 qbee42, Apr 7, 2011
  13. mmcdonal

    mmcdonal Active Member

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    Here is an article on the subject from Information Week:

    Toyoda concludes: To really succeed, the partnership needs to do what Mr. Toyoda describes: Make cars and trucks more valuable to their drivers by turning them into "information terminals."

    As an Information Security professional, I would fix that by saying that this will turn the cars and trucks into hacking targets.

    The IPv6 address space makes this possible, but if I know Toyota's range, I have basically millions of unmonitored targets to bot, or to steal data from. Count me out of this add on.
     
    #13 mmcdonal, Apr 26, 2011
  14. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    I go out of my way to keep MS far, far away.
     
    #14 SageBrush, Apr 26, 2011
  15. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    do you expect vehicle ECU to be connected to such system? You watch too many movies.

    Entune works only within NAV device... it is not connected to anything else in the car (unlike Ford SYNC).
     
    #15 spwolf, Apr 26, 2011
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