In a digital world with always-on technology our cars are sometimes the last bastion of quiet; a place to escape from our smartphones, tablets, smart televisions and fridges that can connect directly to Tesco online shopping when it senses you are running low on milk. Volvo wants to change that - it envisions a world where you do not have to leave your online life behind you the moment you jump in your car and so has introduced Sensus Connected Touch, which will be available across the Volvo range soon.
Connected Touch is based around a seven-inch touchscreen unit that connects to the web via a Wi-Fi dongle or your smartphone's 3G/4G connection and allows you to stream your favourite music from apps such as Spotifiy, Tunein or Deezer, connect to the web via a fully functional web browser, stream video and images from your smartphone (though not Apple, as it does not support the mirroring protocol) and anything else you could picture doing on a comparable seven-inch tablet.
And that is because, for all intents and purposes, the Sensus Connected Touch is an Android powered tablet designed partially in conjunction with Ericsson for Volvo. Unlike tablets however, the majority of which use capacitive touch technology, the Volvo system uses infra-red to detect where and when you interact with the screen. The advantages of this are immediately apparent when you consider Scandinavian winters that drop to minus 20 degrees - temperatures that require gloves, items that capacitive touch generally does not work well with. Even without the screen however the system also recognises voice inputs and controls from the steering wheel or centre console.
Despite the change in interface the action of the screen is fluid, allowing the user to flick between the Accuweather style home screen and the Google Maps based navigation system with ease. Also, and unlike a regular Android tablet, the Volvo unit cannot access the Android Market and instead has a proprietary Volvo store (ingeniously called the Asteroid Store) from which you can download apps that have been approved by Volvo and optimised for the car.
Through the web connection the system can be updated via Over The Air (OTA) that will mean the end of out of date navigation units. It could also mean the introduction of something quite interesting...
During an informal chat with Doug Speck, SVP of Marketing, Sales and Customer Service, the introduction of a Polestar (Volvo's answer to M division or AMG) subscription service was discussed. Through a dedicated app, Polestar performance mapping could be downloaded in much the same way you download movies via NetFlix etc. with a monthly/quarterly subscription fee applicable. This technology could also, in theory at least, be used in much the same way Ford's MyKey system works with Polestar updates being restricted to 'Daddy's' key and a more efficient, restricted power version for when junior is driving the car.