Beep boop - this is a robot. A new show has been posted to TWiT…
What are your thoughts about today’s show? We’d love to hear from you!
Lots of upset over Google Automotive/built-in.
Remember Apple said last year their next-gen CarPlay will start rolling out at the end of this year. Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche and Volvo they said.
What happens with one of these cars if you’re an Android user? Will we end up with cars that dual-boot into either Google Automotive or CarPlay?
1 Like
These cars will need to be prepared for old versions of iOS as well as Android phones that won’t support these larger screens. They’ll probably have a small frame on that bottom screen that loads the “legacy” version.
It will be interesting to see as car manufacturers further integrate Google and Apple into their instruments, how they avoid favouring either Apple or Google users - as GM are finding out.
1 Like
Given that even Google gives up on security updates after 3-4 years, for Android, what are the chances that a 10 year old GM with Google Automotive is going to be safe to use?
I think the car is the same as the washing machine, dish washer, TV etc. they need to be dumb, non-connected devices and if you need “smarts”, you use a cheap device (in this case an iPhone or Android phone, which are cheap, compared to the price of a new car) that is current and up to date with security updates to control the car - or better, just provide access to the screen to display the phone’s interface.
I’ve said this elsewhere and again and again, but my “smart” TV stopped being smart less than 18 months after purchase, because Sony stopped delivering security updates. The Wi-Fi was turned off and a FireTV (and later an Apple TV) was plugged into it to provide the “smarts”, the smartTV itself is just a dumb monitor.
I’ll never buy a smartTV again, based on its “smart” features, they won’t be available after a few months anyway - my daughter bought another Sony and 6 months after purchase, Sony kicked Netflix out of the app store, so they had to get a FireTV stick for that as well… I’ll just buy the best image I can afford and continue to plug in cheap, but current and secure streaming devices.
I’ll treat cars the same way - which probably means I’ll be buying older, second hand cars, if/when I ever replace my current one.
You would hope car manufacturers developing systems and negotiating contracts with Google or Apple are stipulating how long they are supported and update frequencies.
I must be unusual, I’m happy to have my TV connected. Stops the family confusion on remotes, HDMI input switching, why the Netflix button on the TV remote doesn’t work etc.
Freeview Play in the UK relies on it (catchup TV integrated into the TV guide). Also, you’d lose easy access to HDR BBC shows, which are streamed live rather than DTT.
All the apps work well. Alexa integration too.
I don’t really see the difference between Panasonic having my TV viewing habits vs Amazon/Roku/Apple having them.
The difference is the security updates. The Sony got its last Android security update in 2018, there have been hundreds of serious security flaws patched in Android since 2018, so there is no way that it is being allowed on my network. The Apple TV, on the other hand, got a security update last week.
The German state television have media library apps on Amazon FireTV, Android & Apple TV, so a lot of choice. The Sony still does satellite TV, although I think I have watched, maybe, an hour of satellite TV this year.
1 Like
Panasonic is a fork of the old Firefox OS I think. So Linux. They ship an update every 6 months. I’d probably be more concerned if this was a device I carried around and was regularly connected to public WiFi.
I second this. My mother purchased and mounted to her wall a 65 inch “Smart TV” I would get at least a weekly call of my TV isn’t working. I’ve already tried to troubleshoot like you told me last time. Finally after her calling me while I was on vacation with my wife, I told her switch it back to the firestick and let my sister walk you through updates and use that going forward. I think something on your TV must have broken and I don’t know how to fix it. The problem, one of the streaming apps would no longer update and would no longer allow her to access said app from the smart tv. Go figure.
1 Like
I got a new LG OLED in December and I swear I get a pop-up notification like every other week about a system update. It appears on the bottom third of the screen and must be dismissed with the TV remote. At setup I went through and updated all of the privacy and advertising settings, but at this point I’m just going to kill the TV’s access to the internet. I gave them a fair shake.
They can’t win 
Sony do too few updates, LG do too many…
2 Likes
Pairing my car to a regularly updated smartphone seems like such a good idea. Frankly the lack of Car Play was one of the (many) strikes against Tesla when I was shopping for a new car. Having CarPlay and Android Auto available, wirelessly, is the only way to go. GM is making a big mistake, which is too bad because we’re very happy with our Bolt and I was considering a GM EV for my next lease in February.
No CarPlay, no sale.
1 Like
Do we know if the Google Infotainment system that GM will be using prevents pairing with a phone? If the necessary information is synchronized with the system (like my Contacts), or plays appropriately (like music or podcasts) from my device, then perhaps this isn’t the bad choice I initially thought it was.
I can’t remember having read any information on the Google Infotainment system, so it might help the discussion if there was something that could be referenced so I feel like I’m knowledgeable on the thing.
EDIT: Found this page on GM’s website. It doesn’t look as bad as I was thinking it would be.
Google Built-In - Infotainment System Features | GMC
It’s a little too Googly for me, frankly.
1 Like
That was my initial reaction as well after I watched a few of the videos. I wouldn’t necessary exclude a car purchased solely on this, but I see that point and kind of feel the same way.
Someone mentioned earlier in the thread about what would happen if Apple had an infotainment system - would Android users find themselves excluded? How many choices are we making when we buy a smartphone? Are we locking ourselves into the brand of car we might buy? I feel like this desire to silo and homogenize technology and services - whether it’s Google or Apple - is not good at all.
1 Like
I wouldn’t buy a car that is locked to any online service. Cars should be offline and secure.
1 Like
I can’t find a transcript for this show. Is MBW not transcribed?
In searching for other episodes, 'twould appear not. Perhaps @Leo can explain which shows receive transcription and which do not.
Steve pays for transcriptions for Security Now - they’re available at grc.com.
We pay for transcripts for all other shows as far as Lisa and I know. They take a few days to show up as links on the show notes page. But you’re right I’m not seeing them there.
Let me ask Jerry - maybe we’re wrong.
Apologies. The person responsible for putting in the link stopped for some reason.
The shows with transcripts are:
TWIT ATG, WW, SN, TWIG, MBW, TWIET, AAA, FLOSS, IOS, TNW
We’ll be adding TNW and IOS soon.
Thanks a bunch for letting me know.
2 Likes