Honda plans smartphone-based Web connectivity on new Accord

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2013 Honda Accord To Get Web Connectivity

LOS ANGELES -- Honda Motor Co. will launch a new connectivity system this fall on the redesigned 2013 Accord that will enable drivers to access Internet content in the car via a smartphone.

Hond_Accord_coupe_concept_live_front.jpg

The system is called HondaLink. It relies on the driver's iPhone or Android smartphone to connect to the Internet. Honda says the system's content will include Internet radio stations, podcasts, audiobooks, audible Facebook or Twitter updates, and local restaurant listings.

Honda unveiled the system today.
Competitors, including Ford, Toyota and Hyundai, already have in-car connectivity systems on the market and in some cases have offered them for years. Until now, Honda has been a high-profile holdout in launching a unique, branded system to manage in-car Internet-based content.

The HondaLink system will bring the automaker in line with competitors when it launches first on the 2013 Accord and later on the 2013 Crosstour. HondaLink's content is controlled with a downloadable HondaLink smartphone application. With the app, users can select Internet radio stations and other content in a list of presets they want to access in the car.

When behind the wheel, the HondaLink system displays preset Internet radio stations and other apps in a list on the vehicle's display. The driver operates the system by using controls mounted on the center stack audio head or steering wheel or by voice command, without using the smartphone itself. The idea is for customers to select the content they want before getting into the car. Once behind the wheel, drivers can access Internet content using HondaLink without touching their smartphones.

"Smartphones have become so integral to people's lives that they are using them in vehicles," said Charles Koch, manager of new business development for American Honda. "The challenge is to enable the benefits of these devices without contributing to visual or manual driver distraction."

Unlike subscription-based services, such as GM's OnStar and Hyundai's BlueLink, HondaLink is free. Also unlike those systems, which rely on telematics and connectivity hardware installed in the car, HondaLink relies on the cellular connections of a driver's smartphone to access the infotainment content.
Honda appears to be positioning the system as a premium option. Spokeswoman Alicia Jones said the HondaLink system will be available as an option on higher-end trim levels of the 2013 Accord, though she declined to discuss pricing.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20120718/OEM06/120719836#ixzz211795thj
 
I wonder if this is something they'd actually put into the redesigned civic for 2013? Maybe only on the EX-L trim or something since it says this would only be on high end trims for the accord?
 
HondaLink_Headunit_660.jpg


Honda has partnered with Harman – makers of the Aha app for iOS and Android – to plump streaming content into its next-generation HondaLink infotainment system, starting with the 2013 Honda Accord.

If you’re unfamiliar with Aha, the app allows you to create content channels based on music, news and social feeds, and with the HondaLink integration, the audio is streamed to the vehicle’s head-unit through either a USB cable (iOS) or Bluetooth audio connection (Android).

So in addition to the standard terrestrial and satellite offerings – along with a new Pandora app – you can access a myriad of podcasts, have your Facebook and Twitter news feeds read to you, find tunes through Slacker, and get service listings from Yelp. All that content is delivered through a custom user interface specific to the Aha service, although it’s more than an app, but not quite as entrenched as an embedded platform.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SOFdCDeZ3k


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webby said:
I wonder if this is something they'd actually put into the redesigned civic for 2013? Maybe only on the EX-L trim or something since it says this would only be on high end trims for the accord?
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I would rather see better materials and a more quality made dash instead of the connectivity :)
 
I get in my car to get away from high tech. Most times I don't even take my phone .would just be the wife calling asking to pick something up from the store. Or someone from work.

Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk
 
The only thing I'm afraid of are drivers doing social networking while driving. A few already do that which is a terrible thing.
 
Dar-Dar said:
The only thing I'm afraid of are drivers doing social networking while driving. A few already do that which is a terrible thing.
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You are right. Last year I was run over when cycling by a smart-*** not paying attention while driving
 
I've been rear ended by a guy who dropped his cell phone. He was trying to pick it up off the floor and didn't see traffic had stopped.
 
Honestly, whatever plan Honda has with Facebook, twitter, and other distractions on the road will not turn out so well. Honda is known for having cars with high safety rating, but this isn't it.
 
My opinion is still that I would rather like 2 see better interior materials and a imid display. I can tweet, fb or whatever with my mobile phone and all this not while driving. I read somewhere that the US wants to ban these gadgets getting installed in cars?!?
 
I think Honda is a little too safe. They need to improve voice commands if I'm going to be restricted to them while driving. Ever try entering a destination on your gps with voice commands? It's a pain in the butt and contributes to my road rage. Lol
 
what's the point of having all of these features centered around phones when phones have capped data plans nowadays? I turned off background data on my phone just to save on data and, even with that, I still have runaway apps (rss reader) that update themselves. Listening to an hour of pandora on a phone wastes a lot of data...they shouldn't stop consumers from purchasing unlimited data...lol @ verizon getting sued for restricting tethering.
 
yeah and look how that turned out. The fcc mandated they allow tethering in the last couple of days.

If you're a Verizon customer with an Android handset and a tiered data plan, it means you're officially allowed to download a third-party tethering app such as PdaNet (non-rooted phones, free and $25 paid version), EasyTether (non-rooted phones, $9.99), Wireless Tether (rooted phones, free), or Barnacle Wifi Tether (rooted phones, free).

If you're a Verizon customer with an Android handset and a grandfathered-in unlimited data plan, Verizon is still technically allowed to charge you the $20 monthly tethering fee. This is because the fee is supposed to cover the fact that users who tether use more data (because they're browsing the Web on laptops and tablets) than users who don't. However, Verizon previously required the fee for all users, even those on tiered data plans who couldn't (without paying extra) use more than their allotted data. That said, Verizon has no real way of knowing whether you're using a third-party tethering app, unlimited data or not.
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I know they did, and I'm glad they did. Finally, consumer rights are brought front and center. These big corporations are getting way out of hand. Don't get me started on the devil that is Apple.
 
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