This week’s SmartCar roundup features PubNub’s connected car effort, AT&T’s push into connected cars, and Audi’s Android tablet.

PubNub enters connected car market with Ford

PubNub, a company that specializes in real-time scaling and building of apps, has entered the connected car ecosystem with its ‘Real-Time Taxi’ app for the Ford AppLink platform.  At CES 2014, Ford conducted a makeathon contest, which PubNub won. PubNub’s app demonstrated how vehicle dispatch requests can directly be sent to the Ford AppLink dashboard, and drivers can easily respond to requests via their steering wheel buttons.

Aside from taxi companies, the app can be used by regular consumers to safely communicate with their loved ones or to coordinate driving directions when embarking on a trip.

“When we saw the Ford API, we realized we could get rid of the third-party device (the GPS, the smart phone, etc.), and we saw it as an opportunity to showcase real-time synchronization in the car,” PubNub CEO Todd Greene said in an interview.

AT&T Drive and Drive Studio

image source: AT&T

At CES 2014, AT&T announced two new efforts it hopes will push the company to the forefront of the connected car race.  AT&T Drive is a platform allowing automakers to add connected services such as infotainment and diagnostics systems.  It’s something that would allow car manufacturers to further customize their existing connected car systems while allowing AT&T to offer more than connectivity.

As for the Drive Studio, it’s a physical garage for car innovation and research located in Atlanta.  This will also serve as a place where car makers can brings their cars and test services and components to make sure they will not pose a distraction to drivers.

Also at CES 2014, General Motors announced that its 2015 Chevrolet Corvette, Impala, Malibu, and Volt would be the first of its vehicles to the OnStar 4G LTE service powered by AT&T.

Audi’s Android tablet

Audi addresses the problem of having passengers constantly reaching over just to change stations on the radio or to get directions on your in-car GPS with its 10.2” Android tablet.  The Mobile Audi Smart Display connects to the car’s system via WiFi and is meant to be used by passengers to control the car’s infotainment system, but also provides a full Android tablet experience.  So if you’ve got kids in the car, you can load the tablet up with games or education apps and videos to keep them entertained during the trip, or your teenagers can use the tablet to update Facebook or Twitter.

Audi also previewed a modular infotainment system for Audi owners to upgrade infotainment hardware and software, so even if the car is an older model, owners won’t be stuck with an outdated service.

image source: PubNub