Smartphones and tables aren’t the only new trend in mobile computing—Ford is working on developing applications that work on a truly mobile platform–vehicles. However, as ReadWriteWeb points out, “developers have gotten very good at developing apps that work well at 0 mph, but interfaces that also work well at 70 mph are still in their infancy.”
To spur development, University of Michigan professors and Ford engineers recently taught a 12-week course titled “Cloud Computing in the Commute.” Using Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform, Windows 7 and Microsoft’s Robotics Developer Studio, students created apps for a Ford Fiesta equipped with a touch screen.
Out of the projects created for the class, Ford, Microsoft and Intel selected as the best an app called “Caravan Track,” which makes it easier for groups of vehicles to stay together on a trip.
