01-15-98 Computer Makers Rush to Develop PCs for Cars
By Yu Kun-ha Staff reporter
Domestic computer manufacturers affiliated with automobile companies are rushing to develop computers for cars, considered one of the next big
computing markets.
Samsung Electronics Corp. is the first among Korean PC makers to develop such an auto PC. The firm demonstrated its product, the InfoVehicle
AutoPC, at the Consumer Electronics Show held at Las Vegas last week.
Samsung presented the new PC along with two other mobile computing products, the InfoGear wallet PC and SCS-100 SmartPhone.
The company's auto PC is based on a platform developed by Microsoft. Code-named ''Apollo,'' the platform uses Windows CE 2.0 operating software,
a trimmed-down version of Windows designed to run on mobile keyboard-less computing devices.
Samsung's auto PC runs on a 32-bit RISC (reduced instruction set computing) processor, which is powerful enough to accept voice commands and
translate text messages to a synthesized voice output.
The company said its product can distinguish about 200 voice commands, convert text-based paging into voice messages and support communication
with cellular phones.
The InfoVehicle also features 8MB (megabytes) of basic memory, which can be expanded through a detachable memory card, and an LCD screen with a
resolution of 256 by 64.
According to the company, its auto PC can provide the driver with an array of on-the-road conveniences, including a navigation system, database
access, telephone capabilities, transmission of wireless data to the car, and vehicle safety.
Samsung plans to begin introducing its car computer system in the first half of this year, but mass production is scheduled to start in the second quarter of
1999, carrying a suggested retail price of $900 a unit.
Daewoo Telecom is also developing an auto PC based on Microsoft's Apollo platform. Product release is scheduled for July or August this year. The
company's auto PC will feature Windows CE, a 5.6-inch LCD panel and a car navigation system using global positioning system (GPS), a company
official said.
Daewoo has recently developed a portable navigation assistant (PNA) which helps auto drivers find routes to their destinations. The system, dubbed the
Route Finder PNA, was developed in cooperation with Datus Inc., a subsidiary incorporated in San Jose.
The system, which can locate a vehicle on the road using global positioning system (GPS) satellites, will hit the market in March.
Hyundai Electronics Industries (HEI), which already markets a car navigation system, plans to develop an Auto PC based on Windows CE by the end of
next year or early 2000. HEI's product development schedule may appear late compared with its rivals, but it is timed with the assembly-line
incorporation of auto PCs by its sister company, Hyundai Motor Co., the nation's largest auto maker.
According to industry watchers, because of long car design cycles, auto PCs would not be available as factory options until the model year 2000 at the
earliest. This means the market for auto PCs will take a few more years to take off. A forecast by Samsung puts demand for these new computers just at
350,000 units in 2000.
But from then on, demand is expected to explode, topping four million units in 2002 and 10 million units in 2005. By this time, intelligent information
system will have been introduced, helping auto PCs find their way into more cars.
Currently, the leader in this new line of the computing business is Clarion of Japan, which demonstrated its product at the CES.
The Clarion AutoPC, which is based on software from Microsoft, including Windows CE, supports voice recognition and text-to-speech conversion.
It recognizes more than 200 voice commands, allowing users to perform tasks such as making phone calls, finding directions, and changing the music. It
can also receive news updates, traffic reports, and e-mail and voice mail alerts through a wireless push technology receiver. The product is scheduled
for limited consumer availability in April, with widespread distribution to follow in June. It will carry a suggested retail price of $1,299, according to
the company. |
