qnx

Shares of Research In Motion are taking a tumble after the company warned of lower results for the current quarter as it contends with competition for its BlackBerry devices and gets ready to launch its PlayBook tablet.

In its earnings conference call yesterday afternoon, RIM warned of lower results for the current quarter.

The company said that it's looking for earnings for the quarter ending May to drop to between $1.47 and $1.55 a share and for revenue of $5.2 billion to $5.6 billion. Shipments of the BlackBerry phone are expected to edge down to … Read more

Auto manufacturers, systems suppliers, and consumer electronics makers have formed a consortium to maintain and develop a standard that helps turn mobile devices into automotive infotainment portals. Formerly overseen by Nokia, the newly formed Car Connectivity Consortium counts Daimler, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Toyota, and Volkswagen among its founding members. In addition to car companies, systems suppliers Alpine and Panasonic and consumer electronics makers LG Electronics, Samsung, and, of course, Nokia are founding members of the new group responsible for maintaining the Terminal Mode standard.

"The Car Connectivity Consortium now has the power to turn Terminal Mode … Read more

BMW has announced the release of the BMW Connected app, which lets drivers use their iPhones to bring Internet applications such as Twitter, Facebook, and Internet radio stations into their vehicles. The new app works for all BMW vehicles produced after March, according to a BMW spokesperson. BMW previously launched app support in its Mini brand, with the MINI Connected app, which displays popular social media apps on the car's head unit and gives driving efficiency reports.

The BMW Connected app acts as a gateway that enables the car to replicate a specified set of iPhone app features on … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Analog gauges in your car are so 1900s; this century it's all about to go digital. At CES 2011 we saw a number of concepts for entirely digital instrument clusters designed for the automobile.

Nvidia demonstrated a 3D instrument cluster running off its new Tegra 2 process, and considering that the company is working with Audi, BMW, and Tesla, there's a good chance of implementation. Visteon also showed digital instrument cluster concepts using Open GL 3D architecture. As an automotive supplier, Visteon is showing these to potential customers in the automotive industry. QNX also showed a digital … Read more

LAS VEGAS-- I've been waiting patiently to try out the BlackBerry PlayBook ever since I first glimpsed it under glass at last year's September DevCon announcement. Since then, RIM has published a handful of videos showcasing the tablet's capabilities, testing browser speeds against the iPad, and more or less doing my job for me.

Needless to say, when I finally got my hands on the BlackBerry PlayBook at CES 2011, I arrived well-versed in its story and capabilities. Aside from the mild thrill of holding a product that has taken on a mythic aura, the only real … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Research In Motion co-CEO Mike Lazaridis hopes the company's investment in its QNX software will carry the venerable smartphone company for the next decade.

Lazardis showed off the first fruits of that investment, the Playbook tablet, to attendees here at D: Dive Into Mobile today. RIM has taken the tablet--expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2011--for several test drives over the past few months but hoped to wow the Silicon Valley mobile elite with the QNX software on which it's betting the future of the company.

There's little doubt that RIM has lost a … Read more

QNX unveiled its CAR Application Platform that uses mobile phones to integrate the latest technology and applications with a vehicle's infotainment system. The Canadian company's platform goes beyond Bluetooth audio streaming and uses Nokia Terminal Mode and Apple iPod Out to connect smartphones with the vehicle's multimedia head unit, opening the door to adding e-mail, social networking, music, navigation, and other applications, such as parking spot finders, to in-dash screens.

The integration strategy will enable users to eliminate the learning curve for mastering a new audio system. QNX will also be able to add new functionality quickly without hardware or software upgrades. The downside is that the available features depend on the phone and apps you use.

Based on QNX's promotional videos, it appears non-iPhone users will get the most robust functionality. QNX uses the VPN protocol to connect Terminal Mode-equipped smartphones with the vehicles' multimedia head unit, replicating the device's interface on the navigation screen. The car occupants can use the audio and steering-wheel controls or touch-screen to interact with the phone, and QNX will disable certain features it deems unsafe while driving. Unfortunately, iPod Out doesn't offer the type of data integration available on Terminal Mode-equipped phones.

Terminal Mode was developed by Nokia and Consumer Electronics for Automotive (CE4A), an association of which BMW, Audi, Daimler, and Volkswagen are members. QNX, formerly a subsidiary of Harman International, was purchased by Research In Motion last April. BMW offers Harman Kardon branded audio systems in its product line, and has already expressed intent to use QNX's platform to incorporate iPod Out and read BlackBerry e-mails to passengers.

QNX unveiled the new platform at the Society of Automotive Engineers Convergence 2010 conference last week in a modified Chevrolet Corvette, which also demoed QNX's dynamically reconfigurable digital instrument cluster. The feature offers two different displays: driving mode, which shows the tachometer and speedometer, or information mode, which shows weather, navigation, or entertainment information. … Read more

Research In Motion's upcoming tablet may not run the BlackBerry OS after all.

In a report Thursday, Bloomberg says it was told by unnamed sources that the so-called "Blackpad" will feature software from QNX Software Systems, a company acquired by RIM in April.

At the time of the acquisition, RIM said it would use QNX software to "further integrate and enhance the user experience between smartphones and in-vehicle audio and infotainment systems."

Perhaps this is the "infotainment" device referenced? QNX software is used in a variety of applications; interestingly, BMW uses it for … Read more

Research In Motion is making a play for the automotive market, announcing Friday its acquisition of QNX Software Systems from Harman International. QNX brings an open-platform operating system to the game and RIM is looking to advance it in the automotive world.

In a statement, RIM President and co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said:

RIM is excited about the planned acquisition of QNX Software Systems and we look forward to ongoing collaboration between Harman, QNX and RIM to further integrate and enhance the user experience between smartphones and in-vehicle audio and infotainment systems. In addition to our interests in expanding the opportunities … Read more