Windows on the Road

[MasterRacker]

We've seen Windows for Warships no we have Windows Automotive.

http://news.com.com/Car+crazy+Microsoft+in+the+drivers+seat/2100-1046_3-5419404.html?tag=nefd.top

Jeff
The future is already here - it's just not widely distributed yet...

 

[RiverGuy]

I like the entertainment ideas. This is what I would like: Just replace the typical cd player with a Windows-based PC. Make sure it has a DVD/CD slot. Play your music with Media Player. Make sure it has a USB port and media reader. Use typical DVD monitors to hook up to the PC to play DVDs in the back seat. It sounds like it could be cheaper than a Pioneer head unit, with more functionality.

 

[pmonett]

the in-car speakers could be used to make phone calls, but with less luck: it took him four tries before the computer got the phone number right

Well that's just about the level of reliability I expect from MS. God help us if an MS-controlled car ever hits the road !
We've already got enough trouble with the drunks and DUI, if we have to add a Driving-With-Microsoft category then I'm outta here.

Pascal.

 

[jwenting]

Most likely he used voice dialing and the software wasn't properly trained to his voice.

I tried it on my cellphone (which runs Symbian) and it's flaky at best.

Voice recognition software in general (despite decades of work in the field) is still unreliable unless trained for prolonged periods, a process that most people skip and then complain when the software makes mistakes (a typical end-user process everywhere, and something software designers don't pay enough attention to).

 

[pmonett]

Users should not need to "train" to use voice-recognition software. If I am told that something will react to my voice commands, then the only constraint I will accept is a list of commands I can use (I understand that the developers cannot possibly have allowed for all the available words in the dictionary).
Other than that, if my neighbor can understand what I say, then voice-recognition software should be able to too. If it doesn't, then haul it back to the lab and work on it until it does.
Yes, I know, this is a very difficult field, and regional accents must really be very hard to contend with. Nevertheless, in an era where people have become accustomed to seeing one-button solutions to everything (because of films, books, and even everyday workplace experience), it is hardly surprising that users cannot comprehend that a voice-recognition software cannot "recognize" their own voice immediately. After all, that's what it says on the box, no ?

Pascal.

 

[CajunCenturion]

One thing that would probably not be a concern for Windows Automotive -- breaking the speed limit.

Good Luck
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[sostek]

BMW already tried running a version of CE on one of their 7 series cars. They were so unreliable that people returned most of them and BMW re-fitted with normal electronics and sold them at a lost.

This is dangerous.

 

[strongm]

So what do you think powers current and future versions of iDrive?