GM launches Mylink System to compete with Ford's Sync and Toyota's Entune

[Drew Dowdell]

GM launches Mylink System to compete with Ford's Sync and Toyota's Entune

NEW YORK – Consumers who seek a higher level of in-vehicle wireless connectivity and customized infotainment options, plus the unmatched safety and security of OnStar need look no further than the 2012 Chevy Volt and Equinox.

When these vehicles go on sale later this year, they will be the first to offer Chevy MyLink – an in-car infotainment package that builds on the safety and security of OnStar and seamlessly integrates online services like Pandora® internet radio and Stitcher SmartRadio® using hands-free voice and touch-screen controls via Bluetooth device connectivity.

“There is a new generation of car buyers who don’t want to settle for mass market radio,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. “They want to create their own individual stations and have access to them wherever they are. Chevrolet vehicles have offered customers the ability to use portable media devices since 2006 and the introduction of MyLink takes media personalization to a new level. ”

MyLink adds stereo audio streaming and wireless control of smartphones, building on the voice-activated Bluetooth hands-free calling capability already offered in most Chevy vehicles. MyLink also includes a seven-inch, high-resolution, full-color touch screen display that makes media selection easy to navigate.

“Chevrolet MyLink is the next logical step for in-vehicle connectivity,” said Karl Stracke, vice president for Global Product Engineering. “MyLink leverages the mobile broadband capability and the sophisticated, online services made possible by today’s smart phones.”

MyLink retains all the capabilities of today’s entertainment units, including AM/FM/XM tuners, CD player with MP3 playback, auxiliary and USB inputs. But, Stracke says, “These are the essentials and we’re building from there.”

Among the new benefits provided by MyLink:

• Enhanced hands-free voice control system powered by Nuance®, which allows simple voice commands to initiate phone calls and select radio stations or media from portable MP3 players and smartphones. A tap of a button on the steering wheel enables intuitive verbal control of smartphone applications like “play (artist name)” or “call (name of contact)” to keep the driver’s hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
• Pandora® internet radio allows users to create personalized radio stations based on favorite artists or genres and Stitcher SmartRadio® enables access to thousands of audio programming choices allowing customers to build a personalized listening experience. MyLink integrates control of both of these apps for a driver directed listening experience.
• Gracenote®: identifies the music collection on the driver’s smartphone or MP3 player and presents information such artist name, genres and album cover art on the MyLink screen and enables users to select similar music to the tunes they love. Gracenote also improves the accuracy of MyLink’s voice activation system by allowing users to access music using artist nicknames, such as “The Boss,” “G.N.R,” or “The Fab Four” simply by using MyLink’s touch-screen or steering wheel buttons and voice control interfaces.
• Upgraded USB connectivity: While Chevrolet has offered auxiliary device connectivity since 2006, MyLink adds flash memory capability to its USB device connections. This provides users with the ability to access approved applications that will make their MyLink system even more functional, while assuring that driver’s maintain eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

The debut of Chevy MyLink extends the OnStar experience from safety and security to information and entertainment by seamlessly integrating the capability of a smartphone into the vehicle so that hand-held phones may be safely stowed while driving.

When OnStar debuted in 1996, it pioneered in-vehicle connectivity with the auto industry’s first embedded telematics system. It has grown from primarily offering automatic crash notification and security features to include remote vehicle diagnostics, turn-by-turn navigation and the ability to slow down stolen vehicles.

In November 2010, OnStar released a smartphone application for all 2011 Chevy vehicles that incorporated remote start, lock/unlock, and vehicle status checks as well as battery management functions for Volt owners. Volt owners also have the MyVolt.com website to provide those remote management features and other Chevy owners soon will have access to similar web-based OnStar services.

The combination of MyLink and OnStar will soon be joined by the integration of the Powermat® charging system – eliminating the need for charging cords. Chevrolet MyLink will be available beginning with the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and Equinox this fall before expanding to other vehicles in the Chevy lineup over the next 18 months.

[regfootball]

5 years after Ford.

Powermat is nice though.

Edited February 18, 2011 by regfootball

[Drew Dowdell]

5 3 years after Ford.

Powermat is nice though.

[regfootball]

what is lol is my cobalt has 'mylink'.......maybe when i sell it some unknowing individual will think it comes with all the stuff.....lol

the GM system looks to have lots of real excellent functionality. why not roll it out on the cruze and sonic too?

Edited February 18, 2011 by regfootball

[SoCalCTS]

Wow! Available on TWO of GM's vehicles! lmao

[Robert Hall]

Odd they are rolling it out on just the Cruze and Equinox, why not on higher end models like Buicks and Cadillacs?

[hyperv6]

Ford pushed their systems in the lower end cars first. I think it is more a demographic thing. The younger you are the apt you would be at using apps.

Ford really focused on the Focus and Fusion in marketing of their system. The younger you are the cheaper car you buy and the you want smart phone tech options. I am sure the rest of the line up will get upgraded very soon anyway,

[Croc]

Why is there a climate control app? Am I really going to have to navigate through menus to bump the defogger up a notch?

Edited February 19, 2011 by Croc

[balthazar]

>>"I think it is more a demographic thing."<<

Obviously; yes.

The only thing I use on my wife's car is AM/FM/XM, and the CD player. That'd be all I used on a Mylink car, too.

[Drew Dowdell]

Odd they are rolling it out on just the Cruze and Equinox, why not on higher end models like Buicks and Cadillacs?

You want to try to explain to your grandmother how to use Pandora (can I give a thumbs up from the steering wheel control?) and why it's different from XM?

[Robert Hall]

You want to try to explain to your grandmother how to use Pandora (can I give a thumbs up from the steering wheel control?) and why it's different from XM?

Well, not on the DTS or Lucerne...but on the models that skew younger.. Regal, CTS, SRX, Escalade......

You don't have to be a 20 something to be into apps and smartphones...I know plenty of tech savvy 35-45 yr olds into phones, etc..

Edited February 19, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Z-06]

One model each from B-G-C in addition to the two from Chevy would have helped to test waters.

[hyperv6]

One model each from B-G-C in addition to the two from Chevy would have helped to test waters.

Test what waters? This stuff is already here.

This is the present not the future. Our homes, radio, Video, cameras, nav, phones, lap tops, cars, tv, home security and more can already be interlinked anymore. If GM needs to tweek this system it will not more than not be software update.

If they would add a Tazer to this it could also be our personel security.

[balthazar]

I love how people think they need to interlink all this stuff.

The marketing perception behind tech is amazing- just bring it out and people salivate automatically.

I don't think there's any other consumer-oriented industry that enjoys the same perception.

Like the car insurance company that allows you to get periodic (or is it real-time?) updates on your collision repair- like your gonna catch him stuffing newspaper behind a rot hole and slathering 2" of Bondo in.

There's an awful lot of tech for tech's sake out there.

Edited February 19, 2011 by balthazar

[hyperv6]

I love how people think they need to interlink all this stuff.

The marketing perception behind tech is amazing- just bring it out and people salivate automatically.

I don't think there's any other consumer-oriented industry that enjoys the same perception.

Like the car insurance company that allows you to get periodic (or is it real-time?) updates on your collision repair- like your gonna catch him stuffing newspaper behind a rot hole and slathering 2" of Bondo in.

There's an awful lot of tech for tech's sake out there.

Tech is the new way of life and you had better catch on or get left behind. When I saw my son learn to use a computer and mouse by the age of 3 it was very telling. He is not even 10 years old and is very tech involved in many areas.

This will be very important to the auto industry to keep up as who ever does will get the younger buyers.

As for me I could care less if it does not make it faster or the music. Even today someone got me a nav system and I gave it away. I had no need for it and figured I saved a window from getting smashed out.

It is not far off that many will not be with out a smart phone or pad. It will be like carrying a wallet.

Just think what will happen if we get hit by a pulse weapon. Many could not find their way home. LOL!

[balthazar]

>>"Just think what will happen if we get hit by a pulse weapon. Many could not find their way home."<<

That will never be me.

>>"you had better catch on or get left behind"<<

From the personal standpoint, despite what the marketers would have you believe, it's not a competition.

>>"It is not far off that many will not be with out a smart phone or pad."<<

You would be surprised how many WILL.

[hyperv6]

>>"Just think what will happen if we get hit by a pulse weapon. Many could not find their way home."<<

That will never be me.

>>"you had better catch on or get left behind"<<

From the personal standpoint, despite what the marketers would have you believe, it's not a competition.

>>"It is not far off that many will not be with out a smart phone or pad."<<

You would be surprised how many WILL.

The same case could be made against the ZR1. is there really a need for 650 HP on a street car? Not really but the fact you can says it all.

I too like you have no need for all this tech crap in my personel life. I often unplug when I go home accept for a few forums. I don't have a Facebook and don't twitter. But on the other hand for work I deal daily with many people in country and overseas with E mail, Chat and computer links with many MFG's on my job. Tech is a very big part of my job anymore and to keep up I have to use it and know where it is going if you are going to lead.

Daily I am dealing with people who may be on a Blackberry on a yacht in Istambul to a I phone in China. Many of the MFG reps I deal with live with their smart phones and they will do buisness where ever they are anymore. They may be on the floor at SEMA and no longer sit waiting in a office waiting for your call. Next week we will be back to even solving customers issues in the pits at Pomona when racing starts again in the NHRA.

When I started it was a big thing to have a 800# now you have to be involved in many areas to keep up not only with in our country but the world. The third world is now linked and they know how to use it. If we are to lead we need to stay ahead.

Tech in some ways is over blown but in many other ways it is the new way of doing business. You either have it and lead or leave it off and get left behind. Todays and tomorrow generation are and will be great multi taskers and will not wait for you to call them or wait to get ahold of you.

What I hate the most is the little keyboards on smart phones. My fingers are too large.

I agree with much of how you feel but if you are going to get anywhere in life you can not disconnect anymore.

Edited February 19, 2011 by hyperv6

[Satty]

I felt uncomfortably vulnerable when I was phoneless for half an hour because it needed an update. Younger generations are reliant on technology in ways older generations cannot fathom. Find a teenager or 20 something and take away their phone for 10 minutes and watch them slowly go insane.

[balthazar]

What I am addressing is the very real backlash against the sheer volume and in many cases- unwarranted intrusion of tech. There will always be a contingency that eschews these disconnected, impersonal methods in favor of 'direct interfacing'- always. Sure, if the person is remote, you have to use something electronic- but a huge part of people don't work that way. Small businesses mostly, do not.

I run my own small business - I have no phone book listing, no website, no web presence & I do not advertise. How do I get work??

Boils down to 2 critical things a local small business absolutely needs (well above & beyond blackberrys & smart phones) - professionalism & quality.

Those 2 things are NEVER obsolete, their batteries NEVER run down, they NEVER get wet and short-circuit or fall down a flight of stairs & smash open... but they frequently are in short supply.

My customers get me other customers. You can't beat that with a stick.

If anything, the level of professionalism - the simple things like returning calls or showing up on time - has greatly decreased in my lifetime.

Tech was supposed to make all this EASIER. Maybe it's somehow had the opposite effect. Perhaps.... just perhaps, the impersonality of electronic communications is driving the younger generations to lose whatever personal interface skills they may have had & could've been developing all along.

For many other instances, yes; the connectivity works, but the implication that 'everyone has to get it or die' is marketeer spin.

[balthazar]

>>" Find a teenager or 20 something and take away their phone for 10 minutes and watch them slowly go insane. "<<

That's both because they're addicted, and because their real skills have subsequently diminished. You'll find the same sort of reaction from a deprived smoker.

I have watched both of my sons go without their phones and the computer for long intervals; know what- they are somehow able to occupy themselves with non-electronic activities and enjoy them. I know; GASP!

[SAmadei]

Tech is the new way of life and you had better catch on or get left behind. When I saw my son learn to use a computer and mouse by the age of 3 it was very telling. He is not even 10 years old and is very tech involved in many areas.

As some point, I feel that people who have been raised with too much tech from too early of an age are going to rebel turn away from tech. "Tech" is a fad that comes and goes... and right now we are in a fairly long period where tech is in vogue... at some point, simple will become desirable again. Granted, there will be a lot of tech packed into that simple, but we won't have tech for tech's sake.

All this unnecessary tech comes at a price... if not just money, but pollution and privacy. At some point, tech will meet severe resistance on these fronts.

If tech trumped all, velcro shoes, digital watches with calculators, picture-in-picture, flying cars, etc. would all be commonplace.

It not always a case of "catch on or get left behind"... schools with computers are not leading to smarter students. In fact, I recently got done reading "The Dumbest Generation", and while it is kinda dry and not completely convincing, and its still fairly dire. "Left behind" are people who can update Facebook all day, but can't figure out how to do much else in Real Life that don't involve going to Walmart, McDonalds or a bar.

My cat knows how to work my computer. He turns it off. It can be quite annoying, but sometimes I think he might be the smarter mammal.

It is not far off that many will not be with out a smart phone or pad. It will be like carrying a wallet.

Just think what will happen if we get hit by a pulse weapon. Many could not find their way home. LOL!

Won't be able to find their way home. Won't have any money. Won't be physically fit enough to walk home. Won't have safe water or food once they get there.

Yeah, our over reliance on tech is great.

All this said... average new car buyer is late '40s. Just put this Mylink across the GM line... you're going to do it anyway, and I feel that GM is selling short the older people who want this tech for the benefit of 20-somethings that only barely buy new cars anyways, let alone GM cars.

What I find antiquated about this is that it has to be a "system"... just come up with simple integration without gimmicks, like a "climate control app", and works easily with most cellphones or other gadgets. Its all bluetooth, USB and WiFi anyway... technologies 10-20 years old. Powermat... gimmick. Remember, you need an expensive, bulky sleeve designed for your phone to use that.

[Robert Hall]

Tech is the new way of life and you had better catch on or get left behind. When I saw my son learn to use a computer and mouse by the age of 3 it was very telling. He is not even 10 years old and is very tech involved in many areas.

Just think what will happen if we get hit by a pulse weapon. Many could not find their way home. LOL!

I couldn't imagine life w/o technology.. I don't know what I'd do for a career w/o computers and software..it's what I got my degrees in (Computer Science) and do for a living, been using computers since I was a teenager in the mid '80s. Though I'm not as much of a gadget fanatic as many of my peers and have never been much of a gamer...still couldn't imagine not having high speed wireless internet at home or a smart phone. Couldn't imagine using a corded phone or not having cable HD TV.

I wouldn't make a good Amish (a lifestyle that's still around back in rural Ohio where I'm originally from)...they are the most removed from technology in the US and seem to live a lifestyle unchanged for centuries..

Edited February 20, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[FAPTurbo]

That climate control app is pure gimmickry. There will be proper controls on the dash for anyone (including myself) who'd rather do it the old fashioned way.

[Robert Hall]

That climate control app is pure gimmickry. There will be proper controls on the dash for anyone (including myself) who'd rather do it the old fashioned way.

I could live w/o that also...don't see any advantage over knobs and buttons for climate control...though a lot of cars already have touch screen interfaces for HVAC and audio controls.

One of things I dislike about using touchscreens is the lack of tactile feedback...pretty much have to look at the screen to do anything.

[Drew Dowdell]

That climate control app is pure gimmickry. There will be proper controls on the dash for anyone (including myself) who'd rather do it the old fashioned way.

The climate control app is for remote start. What if you left the HVAC shut off yesterday when it was 68 degrees out, now it's 27 this morning when you're going to leave? The Remote Start is going to do NADA for you as far as getting the car comfortable inside ahead of time. All you do is warm up the engine.

[Robert Hall]

The climate control app is for remote start. What if you left the HVAC shut off yesterday when it was 68 degrees out, now it's 27 this morning when you're going to leave? The Remote Start is going to do NADA for you as far as getting the car comfortable inside ahead of time. All you do is warm up the engine.

Or likewise, could be used to get the car comfortable when the car has been sitting outside all day on a 115 degree July day..remote start and remote A/C activation is a nice extra I'd like to have.

Edited February 20, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[hyperv6]

For the record I agree there is way too much tech going on and we will pay a price for it at some point. But right now the Genine is out of the bottle and he ain't goin back.

Just look at Eygpt and how revolutionary Twitter has become there.

But back to cars. It is to the point the companies who offer advanced systems are now going to be who the younger buyers go too. I have stated before the electronics in many of todays cars are more important than cylinder count and RWD. Every kid who has a DS will expect nothing less than than the latest trick technology. In fact many will upgrade a car for more advanced electronics in the future. Just look at how millions flock to the latest cell phone or PS game leaving a good working older unit sitting to collect dust. The sales the Apple has shown in the I pad and I phone are not lost on other industries. The features these things can give an auto company an edge that is so hard to find in a competitive market.

The Ford system has sold a lot of cars and made them a lot of money. The technology is not going away and it is a matter of survival in the market to have it.

I am sure society will pay a price as we have with other advancements but like it or not it is here to stay.

I am sure in time many of the features will get crazy and will at times be more of a novalty than anything like auto park. But the ones that take with the public will stay. Many will be expected or you will not sell the car. Most of these will be in the entertainment, nav communication and other fields.

Right now if any of us were smart we would come up with some Norton like security systems for the new cars. Hackers are already attacking some of the car systems out there. The will be a lot of money made with software for cars that will protect it from being stolen or damaged electronically.

I see cars possibly getting as screwed up as some of the problems we see on the web. Technology is growing faster to the point it can make us live longer than ever expected. But It also has grown faster than society has the ablility to deal with the legal, etical and moral side of it. The smarter our tech becomes the dumber our society becomes. The sad truth is computers are not making kids dumber, it is the lack of good parents for the most parts. Most have no one to teach them right or wrong. They never knew how to grow their own food or hunt. They can read a map because Mom or Dad never taught them. It is not technology killing society so much as lazy parents who let electronic take over their job.

FYI: the Amish cheat. They can and do use Cell phones as long as they don't own them. We have some that live about 20 miles from here. On a Saturday night I have to pass the buggies that have sub woofer stereo's in them as they go to the Super Walmart to buy Beer. The kids borrow the family buggy and make good use hooking the battery for the lights to a good stero system they can remove before the parents find it. I hear too that they are making meth in Lancater PA.

As for the climate control app. I already set the AC on my car so before I leave work it is full bast with the remote start. Like wise if the car is iced over I leave the defrost on the front widow to melt off the ice. The rear comes on automativ already. If only I could start the seat heaters. I am sure they will have an app for that.

Edited February 20, 2011 by hyperv6

[Blake Noble]

FYI: the Amish cheat. They can and do use Cell phones as long as they don't own them. We have some that live about 20 miles from here. On a Saturday night I have to pass the buggies that have sub woofer stereo's in them as they go to the Super Walmart to buy Beer. The kids borrow the family buggy and make good use hooking the battery for the lights to a good stero system they can remove before the parents find it. I hear too that they are making meth in Lancater PA.

When I take a drive through my local Amish country and hear "Bitches Ain't Shit" booming from a horse-and-buggy, that's when I know I'm going to have the best. Day. Of. My. Life. EVAR.

[daves87rs]

Wow! Available on TWO of GM's vehicles! lmao

+1

[daves87rs]

The climate control app is for remote start. What if you left the HVAC shut off yesterday when it was 68 degrees out, now it's 27 this morning when you're going to leave? The Remote Start is going to do NADA for you as far as getting the car comfortable inside ahead of time. All you do is warm up the engine.

Hmmm....

[Robert Hall]

Hmmm....

what is needed is an app for your phone that you can remotely control the HVAC, audio, lighting, etc so that after you remote start the car, you can adjust it...

Edited February 21, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[daves87rs]

what is needed is an app for your phone that you can remotely control the HVAC, audio, lighting, etc so that after you remote start the car, you can adjust it...

True...

[aaaantoine]

That climate control app is pure gimmickry. There will be proper controls on the dash for anyone (including myself) who'd rather do it the old fashioned way.

In addition to what Oldsmoboi said, I think the app exists so that you can also issue voice commands to control HVAC. I'm sure the hard controls will still be there. Or at least I hope so.

As an aside, I hope the Shuffle, Mute, and Bluetooth indicators have corresponding hard buttons. Those seem a little too small to tap precisely, particularly while driving.

Edited February 23, 2011 by aaaantoine