> there are companies with amazing software experience

I don't want an amazing software experience. I want an unsurprising experience, ideally the one I already have.

The only thing better than Android Auto would be to just provide a standardized port (and perhaps a wireless standard) for a combination of video output, audio output, touchscreen input, and charging, with optional standardized sensor inputs. Then you wouldn't need two different standards (Android Auto and Apple Carplay), just one, which would also work with any new device that came along to break that duopoly.

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taneq 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

> standardized port (and perhaps a wireless standard) for a combination of video output, audio output, touchscreen input, and charging, with optional standardized sensor inputs

So a web browser loading a page off the phone? :)

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JoshTriplett 2 days ago | parent [-]

Emphatically not. I want the head unit to act as a dumb terminal for the phone. My first instinct would be a USB-C docking station supporting DisplayPort video, various interesting USB devices, and a descriptor that makes it clear it's a car's head unit so the device can intelligently offer a car-specific experience.

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taneq 2 days ago | parent [-]

Oh, right, more like a car-flavoured docking station? That does sound better, it relies on the car for less in terms of functionality so it should be more consistent and futureproof.

	▲	JoshTriplett 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Yes, exactly. And USB enumeration has the advantage of being extremely standard and making it easy to extend by adding additional devices rather than changing the data stream to the existing devices.

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maxdo 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

you just stuck in this paradigm, this apple/auto surprised me so many times :

- when you need to re-pair Bluetooth

- when you forget the cable to charge and you need to drive

- when you want to share your car to someone and they need to spend 5 minutes to accept every single ToS possible to simply put a GPS

- several people with phones paired before, now you dealing with complete random

you name it.

- you listen music and you need to go out to buy something while others in the car

None of these problems exist if you have a decent, dedicated computer in the car that just works, it knows profiles, it does need you to be always on wire, or on the line.

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cyberax 2 days ago | parent [-]

The TLDR; answer to all your problems is: "Just use a freaking USB cable".

I rent tons of cars and my experience with the wired AndroidAuto is:

1. Plug it in.

2. That's it. It just works. No ToS or any other crap.

3. The same cable also supplies power!

Some cars _may_ need me to press something on the screen to switch to AA mode, but it's rare.

And it works perfectly with _everything_ on my phone. A navigator properly pauses my audiobook before announcing a turn, for example.

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maxdo 2 days ago | parent [-]

for rental it honestly probably make sense, since this is not your car.

Why on earth everytime i sit in the car i have to neurotically plug the cable. I had situations i forgot and in the middle of the ride i started to look for cable or try to wire car play, simply because i figure out i don't know where to go .

This type of crap is not convenient and simply dangerous.

what proper car should offer: keyless enter; keyless profile adjustment including seats, heat, music profiles, etc wheel etc; keyless start and go;

one of the best tiny features i have. In the morning i drive to work; i can go several ways there depends on traffic, My car knows that in the morning i go to work; GPS is on, traffic is calculated.

I open the door , my music started to play, I press gas and drive; zero cables, zero pairing ; open the door and drive.

	▲	cyberax 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Sorry, but you're getting confused. First you want to give car to somebody else, and somehow having built-in shitty navigation (that they don't know how to use) makes it better. Now you're offended by Android Auto making it easy for people to just plug in the phone and start driving? It's clear that you have not used AA/CarPlay, but they _also_ offer wireless pairing. If you're using the car constantly, you can just pair it with your phone. There are even retrofit adapters available, so even a 10-year-old car can be wirelessly connected. > what proper car should offer: keyless enter; keyless profile adjustment including seats, heat, music profiles, etc wheel etc; keyless start and go; Nope. Cars should offer one thing only: Android Auto/CarPlay. That's it. Nothing else is needed. Can your car play audiobooks and pause them when the navigator makes a voice announcement? Can it play a Youtube podcast that you started listening on your computer?