Your Car: The Next Digital Living Room?

By Carolyn Giardina

“The car is becoming the next digital living room,” asserted Consumer Electronics Association president and CEO Gary Shapiro during a recent press conference.

In fact, CEA suggested that the automobile is becoming the “fourth screen,” along with televisions, computers and mobile devices. This year, sales of in-vehicle technology are expected to top $9.3 billion, the organization reported.

Reflecting this development, president and CEO of Ford, Alan Mulally, will deliver the opening keynote address at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show, January 7-10, 2010, in Las Vegas.

“Convergence and personalization are a particularly important trend, and mobile technology and wireless had become the epicenter of our lives,” Shapiro said. “Ford is acting and thinking like an electronics company… listening to those who demand a connected experience.”

The 2010 CES is expected to feature in-vehicle technologies including advancements in portable GPS, location based services, in-car video, wireless technology and integrated products for combining entertainment with navigation and security.

Jim Buczkowski, Ford’s director of electrical and electronics systems engineering, explained that driver distraction is an important issue, and therefore Ford is looking to developments such as voice recognition technology, in an effort to ensure that consumer electronics devices are used in a safe way.

Some of the Consumer Electronics Show’s scheduled in-vehicle electronics exhibitors include: AT&T CruiseCast by RaySat Broadcasting, Directed Electronics, Dual Electronics, InstallerNet, Kenwood USA, Kia Motors, Metra, Mitek, Pioneer and Scosche.

Mulally joined Ford in 2006, after serving as executive VP of The Boeing Company and president/CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He has served as a past president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and is a former president of its Foundation. Additionally, Mulally served as a past chairman of the board of governors of the Aerospace Industries Association. This year, he was named to Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.