While Ford and GM are opening their dashboards to developers to accelerate the creation of automotive apps, Abalta Technologies has introduced a solution for making app integration easier and faster with the launch of its Weblink platform.
Like LivioConnect, Weblink is essentially middleware that allows a vehicle’s infotainment system to connect and interact with mobile apps on a portable device over a Bluetooth, USB or Wi-Fi connection. Because the system is device and automotive OS agnostic, Abalta says Weblink can work with almost any automaker's infotainment system. The company also says that since Weblink relies on apps on the device side, that means easy updates – a constant sticking point with apps integrated into cars.
Abalta is just the latest platform that aims to solve the in-car app problem. Automakers have leveraged native smartphone apps like Ford Sync’s AppLink, embedding apps and connectivity into the car like Mercedes-Benz mbrace2 or Honda and Porsche’s offloading of the task to a third-party platform Aha Radio. But this fragmentation is proof that automakers are still searching for an app strategy that sticks. And the relative shortage of apps for even the most mature platforms also shows that automotive technology still moves with all the speed and agility of a tank.
Third-party developers accustomed to an ecosystem that includes billions of smartphones have been reluctant to create apps for the relatively limited numbers of cars and individual apps for each automaker. Abalta says Weblink solves this issue since its compatible with all major smartphone OSs and allows existing HTML5 apps to easily integrate into existing infotainment platforms. The company also says that individual apps can be customized for a specific car brands and even “target demographic groups, geographical region or user preference."
Abalta also doesn’t yet have any automakers signed on, but touts Weblink's ability to run navigation app WebNav, the streaming music service Slacker, event guide Wcities and the parking app Parkopedia. But they’ll need plenty more than that to compete with even the most paltry automotive app platform.
