Microsoft, Fiat Announce In-Car Computers Partnership

**uxu** · 07-16-2004, 04:13 PM

I found this while surfing today.... You can feel good that you beat MS and FIAT to the punch.

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Fiat Auto and Microsoft's Automotive Business Unit have joined forces for a long-term strategic automotive partnership developing innovative telematics solutions for motorists.

Fiat Auto and Microsoft's novel approach of designing in-vehicle telematics systems combines Fiat Auto's experience and research in telematics services as well as Microsoft's expertise in providing standard platforms, services, and applications.

The objective of the partnership is to design telematics systems which will provide drivers with a solution to communicate effectively with the outside world.

The telematics systems will be flexible, easy to access and use. Therefore, they will allow users' own devices such as cellular phones, Pocket PC or Windows Mobile devices to integrate with the vehicle. Motorists will be able to use standard information services, including web services, and a hands-free phone.

Bluetooth connectivity ensures that drivers' personal address book and contacts will be easily accessible in the car as well as digital music through a USB connection.

This is available through high-quality voice activation. In addition, drivers will also have access to a wealth of services, including off board navigation and real-time traffic information such as those offered by bConnect.

The joint Fiat Auto-Microsoft system will be based on standard hardware and Windows Automotive, which enables Fiat Auto to implement a software design that can be customized and upgraded, according to customers' preferences. Both companies plan to develop a system that inter-operates with the vehicle Controller Area Network (CAN) of the vehicles for diagnostic data.

Magneti Marelli, Fiat Group automotive components' arm, will contribute to the venture by building the hardware on which the systems are integrated. The device from Magneti Marelli will be based on a reference design developed by Microsoft and Fiat Auto.

"Fiat Auto is at the forefront of telematics, having been amongst the first carmakers to feature a wide range of devices in all its vehicles. We are very pleased to have Microsoft, a great innovator in the software industry and a leading expert in designing flexible platforms, as a partner in a unique business model based on recreating, on board, the computer world and structure", says Walter Mortara, Senior Vice President, Product and Process Engineering of Fiat Auto.

"Fiat Auto has consistently developed cars that have been affordable, practical and have greatly contributed to the motorization of entire countries. We are very excited in teaming up with Fiat Auto as we can bring industry-leading, yet practical telematics solutions, to motorists", comments Pieter Knook, Senior Vice President of the Mobile and Embedded Devices Division of Microsoft Corporation.

"By combining Fiat's knowledge of the auto industry with our knowledge of software, together we will be able to meet the needs of drivers and passengers for an enjoyable and safer in-car experience."

http://www.italiaspeed.com/2004/cars...microsoft.html

**Seth** · 07-16-2004, 04:31 PM

They have just discovered America

**proTONEd** · 07-17-2004, 07:25 AM

Would like to see the offspring of such project...
At least Microsoft and Fiat got the same level of quality on their products...

**carpcnoobie** · 07-17-2004, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by proTONEd

Would like to see the offspring of such project...
At least Microsoft and Fiat got the same level of quality on their products...

Crashes every 5 mins?

**Seth** · 07-17-2004, 03:57 PM

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally, your car would die on the motorway for no reason, and you would accept this, restart, and drive on.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart; in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought ‘CarXP’ or ‘Car2003Server.’ Then you would have to buy more seats.

6. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was more reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive, but would only run on five percent of the roads.

7. The oil, water, temperature and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single ‘general car fault’ warning light.

8. New seats would force everyone to have the same bum size.

9. The airbag system would say ‘Are you sure?’ Before going off.

10. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna

11. Fiat would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of A.A. road maps, even though they neither need them nor want them Attempting to delete this option would immediately cause the car’s performance to diminish by 50 per cent or more.

12. Every time Fiat introduces a new model, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

13. You’d press the ‘Start’ button to shut off the engine.

**Spaghetti** · 07-17-2004, 04:06 PM

Interesting strategy.
Don't forget that Fiat own Ferrari (near enough anyway) - if only their road cars were as reliable as Schumacher's!!!
Aren't Fiat still in the **** financially though???

**xBrady** · 07-17-2004, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by Seth

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally, your car would die on the motorway for no reason, and you would accept this, restart, and drive on.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart; in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought ‘CarXP’ or ‘Car2003Server.’ Then you would have to buy more seats.

6. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was more reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive, but would only run on five percent of the roads.

7. The oil, water, temperature and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single ‘general car fault’ warning light.

8. New seats would force everyone to have the same bum size.

9. The airbag system would say ‘Are you sure?’ Before going off.

10. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna

11. Fiat would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of A.A. road maps, even though they neither need them nor want them Attempting to delete this option would immediately cause the car’s performance to diminish by 50 per cent or more.

12. Every time Fiat introduces a new model, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

13. You’d press the ‘Start’ button to shut off the engine.

I have to admit, this is pretty freakin funny but.... Honestly, the days of windows crashing are long gone. My windows XP NEVER crashes.

**carpcnoobie** · 07-17-2004, 04:17 PM

Originally Posted by brady

I have to admit, this is pretty freakin funny but.... Honestly, the days of windows crashing are long gone. My windows XP NEVER crashes.

Next thing you know, we don't hear from you for weeks and wonder what happened. NEVER SAY NEVER! Although I have to agree, XP truly does step light years ahead of it's predecessors.

**Seth** · 07-17-2004, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by brady

Honestly, the days of windows crashing are long gone. My windows XP NEVER crashes.

That's because it isn't running on hardware designed by Fiat yet

I believe Microsoft found the perfect (and cheap) victim to experiment on their "Windows Automotive" platform (more info here )

As for the previous post it is not realy mine. I just edited it to fit the occasion.

**xBrady** · 07-17-2004, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by carpcnoobie

Next thing you know, we don't hear from you for weeks and wonder what happened. NEVER SAY NEVER! Although I have to agree, XP truly does step light years ahead of it's predecessors.

Originally Posted by Seth

That's because it isn't running on hardware designed by Fiat yet

I believe Microsoft found the perfect (and cheap) victim to experiment on their "Windows Automotive" platform (more info here )

As for the previous post it is not realy mine. I just edited it to fit the occasion.

LOL