Many cars now feature touchscreen-controlled infotainment systems, but … why pay for a dashboard-integrated screen, when you’ve already got one on your phone? That’s the thinking behind Dacia’s new phone-based Media Control system.
Debuting in the latest version of the Dacia Sandero, Media Control is centered around an iOS/Android app and an adjustable-size phone docking station in the dash. That receptacle holds the phone firmly in landscape mode while the vehicle is motion, and its cover shuts flush with the dashboard surface when the phone is removed.
The app communicates with the car’s onboard electronics via Bluetooth, linking the phone with the vehicle’s radio, dual speakers, and USB port. Drivers can access infotainment functions directly through the phone’s customizable touchscreen display, verbally via the phone’s voice control system, or through the car’s steering wheel button controls (which are also linked).
The smartphone interface can of course be used to play music – from the radio, the phone’s library, a streaming service, or a peripheral such as a USB stick. It can also be utilized for tasks like taking and placing phone calls, consulting a daily planner calendar, or using a satellite navigation system.
Additionally, because the app is linked to the car’s onboard computer, it can show users the vehicle’s real-time fuel consumption, current speed, distance travelled, and the operational status of the engine.
And finally, if the driver should try to leave the car without their phone, an alert will sound, reminding them to grab it.
Dacia system uses your smartphone as the car’s infotainment screen[New Atlas]