Category: "Mobile"

WWDC 2016 : Carplay getting smarter?

I haven't ranted for a while, so here's something: my biggest gripe about Apple Carplay!

I basically need two things when I drive:

  • directions
  • and controls for what I am listening to.

But Carplay refuses to let these 2 essential things share the screen.

To add insult to injury, Carplay makes switching from one to the other especially hard!

For example, when on the "Now Playing" screen, I have an icon to go to Navigation: (so far, so good)

WWDC 2016 : Carplay getting smarter?
Now Playing... (an AudioBook)

But now, when on the Navigation screen, all I have is a completely useless compass in the place where you'd expect an icon to switch back to "Now Playing":

WWDC 2016 : Carplay getting smarter?
Navigation Screen

In case you wonder why I can't just use the car controls to skip to next and previous song, it is because I am not listening to songs! I am listening to Podcasts and Audiobooks. And for those, the controls you need the most are:

  • "I didn't get that, rewind by 15 seconds"
  • "yada yada yada, skip forward 15 seconds" (also useful for boring commercials)

Now, after years of no change to this, I have a tiny tiny hope that the next version will finally solve this. Look at this screen from the WWDC Keynote:

WWDC 2016 : Carplay getting smarter?
WWDC 2016

The compass is gone! Yay! But did they replace it with a "Now Playing" icon when something is playing??

Flash Lite getting real

And now, the Flash Virtual Machine is going mobile... for real! :)

NOKIA SIGNS LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH MACROMEDIA

Series 60 becomes a reference mobile platform for Macromedia Flash technology

Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and Macromedia (Nasdaq: MACR) today announced a licensing agreement that will integrate Macromedia Flash technology into Series 60 Platform. Series 60 becomes a reference platform for Macromedia’s mobile Flash technology, and Macromedia will implement new versions of its mobile Flash technology on Series 60. Nokia has also agreed to support Flash in its other software platforms.

Press release here.