Video: At Google I/O 2016, the software giant’s Android N platform got a lot of attention. New APIs and new software hooks are massively increasing the way that Android can be used in devices other than smartphones and tablets, and to demonstrate that the Google team chopped up the dashboard of a shiny new Maserati Ghibli.
The circa-$140,000 Maserati Ghibli usually has a central touchscreen in the dashboard and a small LCD in the centre of the driver’s display, but Google ripped all that out — and installed a portrait-orientation 15-inch touchscreen in the style of the Tesla Model S, as well as a fully digital instrument cluster.
This amalgamation of Android N and Android Auto uses Google’s operating system to power the car’s infotainment system, but also the air conditioning system, seat heaters and power windows. It’s a look into a future where your car is fully computerised, not just your Bluetooth music streaming and satellite navigation while you’re commuting to work.
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