| Cult of Mac

Add wireless CarPlay to almost any car for just $105

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This $105 HUD can connect to almost any car.
Connect this Heads Up Display to almost any car for $105.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Want an easy way to add CarPlay to your car? Cars old and new can get an upgrade with this 9-inch car display that supports both Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto.

Enhance your ride without replacing your car’s head unit with this touchscreen car display for just $104.99. That’s 63% off the regular price, making this simple solution one of the cheapest ways to add CarPlay to any vehicle. However, this deal’s only available for a limited time.

Using CarPlay is more dangerous than texting while driving, study claims

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BMW could ditch its pricey annual subscription cost for CarPlay
CarPlay: good for your infotainment system, not your reaction times.
Photo: Sony

Using Apple’s CarPlay platform in its current state is worse for drivers’ reaction times than being high on weed, at the drink-drive legal limit, or texting behind the wheel, a new study claims.

IAM RoadSmart, the biggest road U.K. safety charity, analyzed the impact of various in-car distractions. While CarPlay may make the experience of using your car’s infotainment system more enjoyable, the group’s research concludes that it certainly won’t make you a better driver.

“The fundamental issue of these systems [is that they require] you to take your eyes off the road ahead,” Neil Greig, policy and research director for IAM RoadSmart, told Cult of Mac. However, Greig said steps could be taken to make systems like CarPlay safer.

Uconnect 5 brings CarPlay to all Fiat Chrysler vehicles in USA

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uconnect
The new Uconnect 5 home screen.
Photo: FCA

Apple’s CarPlay infotainment system is finally coming to all of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in North America thanks to a little help from Android.

Fiat Chrysler revealed its new Uconnect 5 platform for cars today that is five times faster than the previous version. FCA says Uconnect 5 was built with future growth in mind and comes with support for CarPlay along with Android Auto and Alexa. It’s basically the Swiss-army knife of in-dash infotainment systems.

Amazon wants to challenge CarPlay and Android Auto

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Connect the Amazon Echo Dot to your existing speaker system, and you bingo! -- your speakers just got smarts.
Amazon wants to move Alexa from the home into our cars.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Amazon is trying to move in on Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto by convincing carmakers to bake in Alexa as an in-car infotainment technology.

According to a new report, Amazon is scaling up its Echo Auto ambitions. It has already convinced BMW and Audi to adopt the tech. It is now supposedly trying to get other automakers to sign up as well.

CarPlay tops Android Auto in latest customer satisfaction rankings

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CarPlay
CarPlay is taking over the auto market.
Photo: Hyundai

Apple’s CarPlay software for automobiles is quickly becoming a must-have feature for new car buyers, according to the latest rankings from J.D. Power.

Even though it was released four years ago, CarPlay is just starting to catch on with consumers who want a phone mirroring system on their dash. And when it comes to Apple vs Google, CarPlay’s satisfaction rating is significantly better than Android Autos.

Apple Music is getting a massive upgrade on Android

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music streaming
The latest release also includes Chromecast support.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple Music is about to get a big upgrade on Android.

A beta version of its next major update reveals Android Auto support is on the way. A number of other new features will also be added to bring the Android version of the app in line with its counterpart on iOS.

Apple’s CarPlay is less distracting than your car’s built-in infotainment system

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BMW cancels its ridiculous CarPlay subscription fee
BMW cancels its ridiculous CarPlay subscription fee
Photo: Apple

Many new cars come with in-dash navigation and entertainment systems created by automobile makers. For safer, less-distracted driving, they should use Apple CarPlay instead.

That’s the result of a study done by AAA that compared CarPlay to Google’s Android Auto and the native infotainment systems found in five 2017/2018 vehicles.

CarPlay and Android Auto are fast becoming standard for new cars

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CarPlay
CarPlay and Android Auto were found on roughly half of new cars sold in Q1.
Photo: Hyundai

Compared to iOS or even macOS, Apple’s CarPlay in-vehicle standard seems relatively minor in terms of importance. However, according to a new report, in-car systems such as this are rapidly becoming the norm.

In the first three months of this year, analysts at Canalys suggest that Apple’s CarPlay or Google’s Android Auto were available in 46 percent of new vehicles sold in Europe, and 52 percent of new vehicles sold in the U.S.

Live blog: Google I/O 2018 delivers the future of Android and more

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Sundar Pichai at Google IO
What does Google have in store for us this year?
Photo: Google

Google I/O 2018 kicks off in less than an hour.

There’s loads to look forward to this year, including an update on Android P, and previews of what’s to come for Chrome, the Google Assistant, Android Auto, and more. The recently-rebranded Wear OS may also get some much-needed attention.

Google is live-streaming its big keynote, which kicks off at 10 a.m. Pacific. If you can’t tune in, follow our live blog below to stay up to date with everything that’s happening in Mountain View.