Video: Saab iQon
March 2, 2011 in Uncategorized
More from Saab…..
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BOd9oX1p4s
–
Please create an account to get started.
Send us a tip!
Int. Saab 2012 in Belgium
Hirsch Performance
Genuine Saab
Saab USA Parts
State of Nine
RBM Performance
MapTun Performance
Springman’s Saab
Pat H said on March 2, 2011
woah
Jeff said on March 2, 2011
Sexy. So many options, boggles the mind. Wonder what this will do to all the other automakers looking to incorporate proprietary designs? This may actually kill off things like Sync, Embrace, iDrive, MMI, etc, if it is somehow able to be managed well. It’s not only its ability to handle Android apps, but in its user interface and how well Saab is able to keep it all sorted out so it doesn’t go awry. Hopefully they have made the right investment into ensuring the system functions well at a very basic primitive level before getting too advanced. I have faith.
Dk said on March 2, 2011
Brilliant just brilliant!
Now SAAB is were they belong, ahead of the curve with there smart new solutions!
Ingvar said on March 2, 2011
Fascinating! Must be the right way to go!
belfast_saab said on March 2, 2011
Stunning, simple, clear – pure Saab. Now how quickly can it be rolled out?
Carl-Henrik said on March 2, 2011
My thought as well.. is it possible to put into existing cars.. that is the most interesting question..
MariusGTV said on March 2, 2011
One word….COOL!!
Jr. said on March 2, 2011
Absolutely stunning! Hopefully it will support a docked iOS-device as well, but either way; very good!
Greg said on March 2, 2011
@Jr. – my thought exactly!
GML said on March 2, 2011
I am really excited about this. I purchased the first Android phone (the G1) the day it came out, and I’ve been using Android since. The possibilities are truly endless. What’s great about Android is the opportunity to continuously update, modify, and adapt very easily without relying on proprietary code or one company. Think about it. Your 5-year-old 2012 Saab could have the latest technology, just by simply updating software.
As for the internet connection, I hope you can connect to your phone’s data, or even wifi. Mobile wifi hotspots are relatively inexpensive in the US. But I do not think you need data to enjoy this feature. Perhaps the occasional connection to update software, but it can still operate much like any other infotainment system…. Just a lot more intuitive and powerful.
Something else to think about. This may be the first instance of a capacitive screen in a car, if I’m not mistaken (unless Ford has it too). That’s pretty cool.
Jr. said on March 2, 2011
Well, that won’t happen, seeing how hard it seems to be for manufacturers to update to newer versions of Android… My wife’s Sony Ericsson won’t ever get a newer version than 2.1.
aZuL2001 said on March 2, 2011
Wait and see.
Saab is not Sony Ericsson.
A phone is not quite the same. Probably this will get beefier hardware.
Power usage won’t be such an issue as with cellphone’s as a Saab has a larger battery and an onboard generator
steve said on March 2, 2011
Swade : check out the Alfa concept when you get a chance. I like it. http://jalopnik.com/#!newcars/5773132
Curvin O'Rielly said on March 2, 2011
Beautiful car!
maanders said on March 2, 2011
It does look nice, but seems like there will be some large blind spots to the left and right rear of the car.
Seb C said on March 2, 2011
Nice, but the voice-over guy needs a Swedish accent.
Toby said on March 2, 2011
Not a fan of voice over guy-does not sound sophisitcated or Swedish. has an odd voice for this kind of work IMHO.
xlx said on March 2, 2011
this is an absolutely great and exactly what I’d like to see in my car. As an Android user I am excited and hope Saab will start to offer this to the new 9-3 and 9-5 as soon as possible.
quixcube said on March 2, 2011
Oh, snap!
As a technophile, I give a truly heartfelt “Thank you!” to saab for this. Now, there is a good feeling reason to spend $$$ for an upgrade to the infotainment over the base model. Before ,it always felt a little galling to spend a lot of cash for something with the smarts of an alarm clock attached to better speakers. This is so much more and so much better integrated with the car.
Awesome work!
anton said on March 2, 2011
What i love in Apple presentations – Steve Jobs always tell when his new great thing will be available on the market.
Hope soon SAAB will do same.
Dan said on March 2, 2011
Remember that thing about how they want to build stuff and license it to other manufacturers outside of Saab?
I bet this is one of those things.
Paul said on March 2, 2011
Looks a bit too cluttered e.g. you’ve got to have bigger buttons and fewer options for the driver unless there’s someway to give him/her the options without taking their hands off the wheel. Of course, I can’t watch the video, but that’s what the screenshot looked to me.
Vector-SS said on March 2, 2011
That’s got to be one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen from an automotive company recently. And the way the iQon logo transforms is simply brilliant. When will we start seeing this?
Anddeu said on March 2, 2011
Fantastic!
Bjoern said on March 2, 2011
I just looooove Saab and iQon and everything. Just perfect. I just downloaded the Saab PhoeniX App for Android on my Milestone and will take it on a test drive later on. Ok, just a fun app but I’m happy to see Saab going the open way using Android.
So if you have an Android Device get the App:
Android Market / PhoeniX App / https://market.android.com/details?id=com.saabautomobile.phoenix
Börjesson said on March 2, 2011
This looks very neat indeed! So nice that Saab keeps managing to run ahead of the pack like this. Many of the others will follow suit. They will simply have to.
One humble request: Please stop spelling IQon with a lower-case ‘i’! It’s not an Apple thingy.
Curvin O'Rielly said on March 2, 2011
On one hand, I’ve been using an Android phone ever since they were introduced, so I like IQon. My phone came with Google’s terrific navigation system, along with many free apps. I’ve downloaded many other free apps in the past two years or so. The operating system for the phone has been automatically updated a few times, which is nice. And every so often, I can easily update the phone’s apps at no cost. On the other hand, I honestly think too much technological wizardry in a car can be a hazardous distraction when you’re driving, even if you take your eyes off the road only for a second or two. I’d have to play with IQon a bit before saying I’m 100% in favor of it. It would have to be simpler than it looks in the demo here.
gunteman said on March 2, 2011
I agree.. Some serious thought has to go into how to make this driver friendly. At the very least, it should be possible to use steering wheel buttons or something like that to handle most of the navigation. Add a custom UI view API for the HUD to that.
Swipe/touch interfaces require a lot direct attention. I’m not saying that IQon should do away with it, because it’s also a very powerful and intuitive interaction model, but for “while driving” tasks, an alternative is needed.
In the music instrument industry there’s a big market for equipment that brings back the tactile, direct action of knobs and buttons to the now software based synthesizers and recording tools. Some units even have labels and indicators near the knobs which change accordingly. Something like that could be really, really nice for this kind of application.
900_S said on March 2, 2011
While it does look really cool and innovative… I’m against this kind of stuff in cars, but if there is such an alternative or “driving” mode that allows the driver to keep his/her eyes on the road (and focused!), then I have less of an issue with it.
Kind of surprised more people didn’t bring this up.
Also, I’d like to think Saabers have more common sense than to use Twitter, let alone ‘tweet’ while driving
Mathias said on March 2, 2011
Why? Seriously, what is the point? I understand wanting to add extra features to the stereo. I get that some people want a navigation system. But what good can come of a web browser in the dash? Or being able to twitter while driving? I already have all that crap in my phone, and I can take that with me when I get out of the car. This is tied to the car, adds a data bill, and encourages me to not pay attention to the road. I’m hoping this is an option I can skip.
Ken H said on March 2, 2011
I do agree, but from the reactions it seems like people do want to drive around in a computer.
Oh well, nobody will force me to buy it though. I just have to watch out for Saabs on the road, the drivers will be tweeting and surfing so they won’t see me…
Juerg U said on March 2, 2011
That’s exactly what I waited for in terms of “inflight” entertainment
just 2 things:
a) may i connect my iPhone
b) when is it available
Otherwise, excellent!
DMR said on March 2, 2011
Years and years of tears and pain caused by GM-OnStar erased with one touchscreen finger swipe.
Saabsideways said on March 2, 2011
In the words of the Internet……
Add To Cart
Now bring out a Saab based Android app to capture those existing owners to include service data, speedview HUD, offers, POI, mpg calculation etc to lead us to the next gen in car module.
And get a Swede to do the voice over.
Doctor Donk said on March 2, 2011
All those kind of innovations should be available as fast as possible… As MY12 for example. Not in 2-3 years. It is nothing special now, it looks as it should be there from the start on new 9-5. But in 2-3 years it will be too default.
saab93f said on March 2, 2011
That looks and seems to work brilliantly. As someone mentioned – now Saab is at the forefront of tech just like they should be. I´m glad that ingenuity has not gone anywhere from T-hättan
SAAB_andee said on March 2, 2011
My real highlight today
SNJ said on March 2, 2011
As a big fan of not only Saab but the Android operating system, I can’t wait to see this in action
Check the Android Central Website to ge their take on the Iqon
http://www.androidcentral.com/saab-turns-android-their-iqon-car-infotainment-system
Aaron C said on March 2, 2011
Thank you Saab!! I love Android, I love Saab… Now they’re both going to be together? Wow. What a slick looking UI. Utterly fantastic!
Ron said on March 2, 2011
So far just about all the press releases discussing the IQon tie it to the PhoeniX concept. This is too bad, given in just 2 months the 9-4X comes online and IQon would have been a great differentiator to drive traffic and sales for Saab. Assuming it could be retrofitted into a 9-4X later on would be re-assuring.