Audi and NVIDIA bring 3D acceleration, Google Earth to the dashboard masses [w/video]
Audi's all-new Multi Media Interface - Click above for high-res image gallery
Audi's Multi Media Interface, or MMI, may not have been all things to all people when it launched in 2004, but Audi has been continually improving the system, making it the defacto way to access media in your Quattro-equipped sled. It's getting better still, with the third generation MMI (3G MMI) getting a boost courtesy of NVIDIA mobile graphics and providing some impressive visuals in the process. While attending CES, we took a bright green Q7 TDI for a spin and then walked inside to check out what's due to arrive later this year: the 2011 Audi A8's dashboard with Google Earth integration.
Gallery: Audi MMI 3G
Ford CEO Alan Mulally's CES Keynote - Click above to follow along on Engadget
As we speak, Ford CEO Alan Mulally is getting ready to take the stage in Las Vegas and give the keynote speech to kick off the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Our sister-site Engadget has an army of reporters on scene, some of which are live-blogging Mulally's speech for our benefit. So head on over to see what Ford's captain has to say about technology... and stuff.Ford CEO Alan Mulally's CES Keynote, live on Engadget originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:58:00 EST. .
Hands on with MyFord Touch and SYNC App Ecosystem - Click above for high-res image gallery
You've read the PR, seen the press shots and probably snickered a little at the quote from Ford's Derrick Kuzak indicating that his company's latest tech "will cause people to fall in love with their vehicles again." After getting a chance to play with a few entrants into the company's so-called SYNC App Ecosystem, and getting behind the wheel of a MyFord Touch-equipped mockup vehicle, we're not laughing - but we are smiling. It's impressive tech, so follow the jump to see some videos and check our impressions.
Gallery: Ford Sync App Ecosystem and MyFord
![We Take Kia and Microsoft's UVO for a Test Drive [w/video]](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/01/kia-press-2010107-1024-08-630.jpg)
Kia's UVO system hands-on - Click above to watch video after the jump
Tucked in between Google's hot new smartphone and a variety of other computer peripheral equipment at this year's CES show is a crossover. Not the jacked-up, tricked-out, neon-dragging customized type that we typically see around the Consumer Electronics Show, but a bone-stock, 2011 Kia Sorento. Well, stock except for one option: UVO. We recently got a chance to try out the newly-announced system in the plastic, and while impressive in its own right, just hours after sitting down with Ford to check out the latest Sync and MyFord Touch, it's somewhat less than stunning. But, ignoring that for now, Kia's offering looks good and still ahead of the rest of the curve. It's functionally comparable to early Sync, enabling easy access to media on 1GB of internal storage, on a USB-connected drive or even on a CD. You can rip from CD straight to internal memory or to a thumb drive, an interesting feature we're not sure is particularly useful. The touchscreen display is a nice improvement over Ford's two-line Sync readout, but remember that if you get this system, you'll have to opt out of in-dash GPS. Good thing you splurged and got that Droid, right? Check out some screens in the gallery below, and there's a quick video demo after the break. Gallery: Kia and Microsoft's UVO
MyFord Touch - Click above for high-res image gallery
Ford began its MyFord Touch presentation with a simple question: "People line up for iPhones - why not cars?" What is it about certain pieces of technology that makes them a "must have"? And since the iPhone is really just a merger of two things we already have (a cell phone and PC), is it possible to blend something into a car that will get 'em lining up around the block? Quite obviously, Ford's hoping the answer is yes.
MyFord Touch - and if you buy a Lincoln, MyLincoln Touch - is a piece of driver connect technology like SYNC, only much more advanced. In fact, you can think of MyFord as SYNC 2.0. Or, you could, if not for the fact that there already is a SYNC 2.0. Regardless, in-car technology can do myriad of things these days, and Ford thinks it's found a way to group and display all of a vehicle's functionality in a logical, intuitive and useful way. Sadly, Ford is internally calling this "simplexity," as in making the complex simple. Or, as we wrote in our notes, "barf." Thankfully, the public will know it as MyFord Touch.
Gallery: MyFord and MyLincoln Touch
