Taking a step back, what apps are really useful/usable in this way for a
driver? Something that s/he can make use of in a hands-free way with eyes on the road?
Beyond the Phone (that Tesla has with its native phone app),
- Navigation - once the onboard Google Maps is leveraged better and is allowed to somehow supersede the relatively lousy Navigon system, there's no need for an external smartphone-based nav. Apple Maps? No, thank you!
- Music - yes, everyone has their favorite music/podcast/audio-book/etc. app. Opening it up this way beyond the onboard Slacker and Tunein is a great value-add.
- Messages - I think this is what people are looking forward to the most. Yes, I'm often tempted to look at the phone screen and respond even (!!) while atleast at a stop light. But, I find processing and responding to messages while in the driver's seat a very distracting experience overall and I don't think the ability to see them on a larger screen necessarily makes it better. Having them read aloud and responding to them through voice commands is okay, I guess.
So, what am I missing? Are there any other compelling apps - flappy bird?!
- that folks can think of that can truly leverage the in-car integration from a
driver's perspective rather than from a passenger's or when the car is in park and such?
Mirroring the phone screen and then accepting input on behalf of the smartphone sound great to me in theory but, seem to have little practical value to me as a driver during the hour or so that I spend in the car everyday.
-GG
"A dedicated iPhone user since 2007"