The percentage of new cars with driver information systems (DIS) is increasing rapidly, with an estimated 50 percent of new cars worldwide in 2006 expected to include such driver-friendly systems (Strategy Analytics, October 2000). Delivering DIS enabling tools to this market is the mobileGT(TM) alliance -- a group of companies possessing a wealth of experience in the technologies required for streamlining the development of DIS. In conjunction with demonstrating the alliance's complete international development environment for DIS, the alliance/Motorola is announcing that Hyundai Autonet Co. (HACO) is the first customer in Asia using the mobileGT architecture.
"The development tools from the mobileGT alliance, along with the mobileGT architecture, will enable Hyundai Autonet to continue to be at the forefront of the automotive systems industry, and will allow us to deliver truly an intelligent mobile office to our customers," says Yong Seog Park, Vice President of Hyundai Autonet.
The mobileGT alliance includes Motorola, IBM, QNX Software Systems Ltd., and Virtual Prototypes Division of eNGENUITY Technologies, Inc. The collaboration of these companies provides rapid DIS development in the form of the very reliable QNX operating system, integrated VisualAge(TM) Micro Edition Java(TM) application tools from IBM, deployment with the J9(TM) virtual machine, and user- defined graphical user interfaces (GUIs) from eNGENUITY Technologies operating seamlessly together on the Motorola mobileGT architecture.
mobileGT-based DIS is the answer to consumer demand for smarter, safer, harder working and more fun cars that can provide help in accidents and navigation, and help keep them in touch with home and office. It can provide a gateway to and from the car, e-calls, Internet and email, on-demand multi-genre digital music broadcast, games and video, and is the basis for the next generation of pervasive consumer services.
The QNX RTOS from QNX Software Systems forms the software foundation for mobileGT. Designed for fault-resilient, dynamically upgradable in-car products, the QNX RTOS offers manufacturers a variety of off-the-shelf Internet and multimedia applications, POSIX APIs for leveraging a large base of developers and source code, an MMU-protected architecture that dramatically reduces debugging time, plus a specially optimized version of the IBM VisualAge Micro Edition J9 virtual machine.
IBM has equipped mobileGT with VisualAge Micro Edition, a comprehensive integrated development environment, set of tools and runtime components for developing and deploying Java applications on connected embedded devices. VisualAge Micro Edition helps speed development with enhancements to support more effective team collaboration while simultaneously improving the individual developer's programming experience. Automatic statement completion; incremental compilation; one button build and the ability to breakpoint source code without restarting the executing program are all included. In the "Collaborative Package," developers gain access to version control, support for coordinating developer workspaces, including the VisualAge Micro Edition catch up and release browsers; atomic bundle release, the central repository server and repository administration tools.
VisualAge Micro Edition brings the productivity gains of virtual- machine-based architectures to the embedded software world. It's now possible to debug and analyze programs as they execute, even when they run in remote, network attached devices without their own user interfaces. IBM's certified Java compatible J9(TM) virtual machine and class libraries can be used to build connected embedded platforms and custom devices. VisualAge Micro Edition addresses the unique needs of developers who want to deploy Java(TM) applications on small devices; key elements of pervasive computing solutions. As clients (with or without user interfaces) or servers, these embedded computers can connect to enterprise data, transactions, and web information. This makes it possible to build new classes to solutions and offerings that are available everyplace they are needed.
eNGENUITY Technologies' comprehensive suite of Human Machine Interface (HMI) development tools have been tightly integrated with the mobileGT product to enable the design of consumer- friendly HMIs with which the driver interacts to access the mobileGT technology. Through the use of VAPS, eNGENUITY Technologies' HMI prototyping and design tool, custom HMIs can be prototyped and built easily and quickly. These VAPS-built designs can then automatically be delivered as ANSI C, real-time embedded applications for the target platform though the use of the use of CCG Lite, eNGENUITY Technologies' automatic C-code generation tool. This enables customers to develop and deliver their own custom HMIs quickly and cost-effectively for their own unique final product.
"MobileGT continues to be a high-profile success for all of us involved in the venture and we are delighted with the results that we have all been able to achieve," said Philippe Collard, President and CEO of eNGENUITY Technologies Inc.
The Motorola mobileGT MPC823e Standard Development Platform utilizing QNX OS, IBM (OTI) Java and eNGENUITY Technologies GUI will be available from Metrowerks in the third quarter of 2001. It contains a central control module, touch screen with proximity detection, ready built hardware with rich I/O, operating system and device drivers. It offers the advantages of risk reduction, reduced development time, allows for concept experiments, and can be reused for future projects.
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