12/18/2008

QNX helps Acura win "Digital Drive Car of the Year" award

Don't know about you, but I find "Digital Drive Car of the Year" a little hard to parse, grammatically speaking. After all, have you ever owned a digital drive car? I didn't think so.

That said, it's an interesting award. The folks who created it -- the bloggers at TECHNORIDE -- start from the premise that technology, not performance or upholstery, is the key differentiator in today's auto market. No arguments there. Also, they seem to prefer models that deliver the best technology bang for the buck, as well as the best driving experience. Good, that.

Top honors this year went to the Acura TL, which uses the QNX-based HandsFreeLink system. True to its name, this system allows drivers to make handsfree calls, using Bluetooth and voice recognition technology. Bluetooth, by the way, was a key prerequisite for winning the award.

The 10 runners-up included models from BMW, Infiniti, Mercedes, Nissan, Porsche, Volkswagen, and Audi. I'm pretty sure QNX is in some of these models. Will do some digging and let you know.

For the full skinny on the Digital Drive Car awards, check out the TECHNORIDE blog.

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