Gain an Insight into How Vehicle Manufacturers Can Co-Ordinate Product Development to Support the Latest Portable Electronic Consumer Equipment

DUBLIN, Ireland--June 22, 2006--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c38482) has announced the addition of Portable Device Integration - Strategies for the Automotive Industry to their offering.

The market for portable devices is soaring and vehicle manufacturers are developing integration strategies for mobile phones, digital music players, and portable navigation systems in response to a market pull from customers and to a legislative push from national governments.

This report provides practical recommendations for vehicle manufacturers to bridge the life-cycle gap between the automotive and consumer electronics industries.

The report 'Portable device integration - strategies for the automotive industry' brings together all the crucial elements which need to be addressed if car makers are to succeed in developing a viable business case for the development of systems that will support easy and safe use of portable equipment and simple integration of new-generation devices, as they come to market.

The author identifies the principle barrier to success being the lifecycle gap that exists between the automotive and consumer electronics industries: the design and production of new cars is out of step with that of the latest portable devices. This mismatch can currently be witnessed in the fact the first models to provide sockets for i-Pod connection have only recently reached the marketplace. This new report shows that bridging this gap will require the adoption of open, versatile connectivity solutions that will be able to support integration of those devices currently available, and those that take future technological trends into account.

Europe is experiencing a consumer boom in portable, personal electronic equipment, from mobile telephones to digital music players and satellite navigation systems. As a result, vehicle manufacturers are facing demands from motorists to enable simple integration of these devices into the car. Pressure is also increasing in the form of national and European legislation to restrict the way in which these items can be used when driving, to ensure road safety is not compromised.

Reasons to read this report

-- Practical recommendations on how vehicle manufacturers can co-ordinate product development to support the latest portable electronic consumer equipment

-- Full evaluation of connectivity options, including Bluetooth, USB and software platforms

-- Consumer, market and technology trends identified and analysed

-- Impact of national and European safety legislation assessed

Topics Covered

1. Executive summary

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Conclusions and recommendations

1.3 Summary of key points

1.3.1. The driving forces behind integration

1.3.2. Responding to the customer's needs

1.3.3. Achieving connectivity

1.3.4. Designing a flexible and upgradeable solution

2. The portable in-car environment

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Consumer demand for a portable in-car environment

2.3 Understanding the incentives behind integration

3. Safety concerns and potential legislative threats

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Safety issues related to portable device use in cars

3.2.1. Driver distraction

3.2.2. Portable device placement in car

3.3 Current legislation

3.4 Threat of future legislation

3.5 Government incentives

3.6 European Statement of Principles (ESoP) on portable devices

3.6.1. Barriers to widespread adoption of ESoP

3.7 Future outlook

4. The integration of mobile phones into the car

4.1 Evolution of mobile phones

4.2 Market trends for mobile phones in Europe

4.3 Technological trends for mobile phones in Europe

4.3.1. Feature convergence

4.3.2. Multimedia content

4.3.3. Device connectivity

4.4 Understanding customer needs for mobile phone integration

4.5 The shift from wired to wireless mobile phone integration

4.6 Bluetooth profiles for mobile phone applications

4.6.1. Voice calls profile

4.6.2. Phonebook access profile

4.6.3. SMS handling profile

4.6.4. Music streaming profile

4.6.5. Image streaming profile

4.6.6. Automotive meta-profile

4.7 Improved Bluetooth paring

4.8 Future outlook

5. The integration of portable entertainment systems into the car

5.1 Evolution of portable entertainment systems

5.2 Market trends for portable entertainment systems in Europe

5.3 Technological trends for portable entertainment systems

5.4 Understanding customer needs for portable entertainment integration

5.5 Methods for integrating portable audio devices

5.5.1. FM broadcasting - legal and performance challenges

Table of contents

5.5.2. USB - Digital Rights Management (DRM) challenges

5.5.3. Bluetooth - profiles and penetration challenges

5.6 Methods for integrating portable multimedia devices

5.7 Business challenges and opportunities

5.8 Future outlook

6. The integration of portable navigation devices into the car

6.1 Evolution of portable navigation

6.2 Market trends for portable navigation in Europe

6.3 Technological trends for portable navigation in Europe

6.4 Understanding customer needs for portable navigation integration

6.5 Portable navigation integration.

6.5.1. Stage one - Proprietary solutions

6.5.2. Stage 2 - Resource sharing

6.5.3. Stage 3 - Hidden device

6.6 Future outlook

7. Enabling telematics services through portable devices

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Safety-based applications - eCall

7.3 VRM applications - Remote diagnostics

7.4 Navigation applications - off-board navigation

7.5 Future outlook

8. Developing a flexible approach to portable device integration

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Enabling flexibility and upgradeability

8.2.1. Vehicle gateway - device has control

8.2.2. Open architecture - vehicle has control

8.2.3. Adaptive networking - hybrid approach

8.3 On-going industry-led activities

8.3.1. ACEA public policy

8.3.2. Nomadic Devices Forum

8.4 Future outlook

List of figures

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c38482