Research in Motion is looking at new ways to stay relevant in a world where there’s little room for Blackberry phones.
The company has a showing at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in an area of the trade show most would likely not have expected – automotive technology.
On display is a concept of an in-car entertainment and information system powered by QNX, the software behind RIM’s flagship Playbook tablet and the upcoming high-end line of Blackberry phones.
QNX gained praise for its sleek interface and strong multitasking capabilities. It gained rightful criticism for specific features it was missing, but the core technology behind the OS was seen as a formidable entry in the mobile space.
Among the car-specific features include touch-screen vehicle instrumentation, contactless NFC chips, and wiring to the rest of the car that allows the touchscreen to act as a master control for other areas of the car (such as beaming videos to screens in the back of the car).
The display can also be fully customizable to the driver and the purpose of the trip. It is in essence a ‘smart car.’ Obviously this has a long way to go before it turns into a real-life product but it is nice to see RIM thinking outside the box for a change.
