Continental and Nokia are joining forces to enable drivers to connect, display and control mobile phone applications via an in-vehicle dashboard display. The name of the game (technology) is Terminal Mode and the goal is to improve the usability of services such as telephony, navigation, social networking and music in an automotive environment “while keeping drivers focused on the primary driving task.”
On its end, Nokia will integrate the so called Terminal Mode (TM) protocol, which is in the final stages of standardization, into future mobile devices.
As a result of this integration, a consumer will be able to connect their mobile device to the car via USB and access all the content from its phone via the in-vehicle display or steering wheel controls. That sounds much safer and like something we’ve already seen with few iPhone integrations by such car companies as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The idea here, however, seems to reach the wider audience and make the product available on low and mid range vehicles…