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Audi showcases its new tablet

Audi has applied its world-renowned flair for technological innovation to the development of a new portable tablet that could open up a wealth of new possibilities for networking between the car, its driver and the Internet.

Published On Jan 17, 2014 10:32 AM By Vidyadhar

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Shown in prototype form at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA, the Audi Smart Display slickly combines the latest technology from the consumer electronics world with the robustness and reliability of a component designed specifically for automotive use. With a 10.2-inch full-HD display encased in brushed aluminium, the portable tablet can facilitate access to, and operation of, the car’s infotainment system, but its capabilities also extend far beyond this.

Through a secure and stable WLAN interface, and via the very familiar Android operating system, the Smart Display can connect seamlessly with the car and enrich it with the state-of-the-art computing and graphics power of its Nvidia Tegra 40 processor.

Passengers in the front or rear seats can use the touchscreen to control the radio, media and navigation systems, and also call up data on the car’s operating status. Equally importantly they can also enjoy access to the Internet at optimal Long Term Evolution (LTE) speeds – which significantly outpace more familiar broadband connections - via the Audi connect system.

Via the Smart Display passengers have access to more than 950,000 apps plus movies, music, audio books and eBooks through Google Play, the Android app store.

The unit’s internal storage serves as an audio and video jukebox, but the Audi Smart Display can also receive video from the MMI navigation plus system. One notable advantage of its portability is that a film that could not be watched in full on a particular journey can be resumed back at home in the living room at the exact point where it was paused in the car.

The Smart Display uses the Audi sound system to play back sound in perfect quality. External headphones can also be connected via Bluetooth or a standard headphone jack. The Smart Display also supports NFC (near field communication) technology, making it particularly easy to connect to Bluetooth headphones and mobile devices in general. Thanks to its integrated camera the Smart Display can also be used for Skype video calls.

The Audi Smart Display was systematically developed for use in cars – it can easily withstand extremes of temperature and its robust hardware makes it crash-proof – but it also means that for the first time the innovative technology that is synonymous with the Vorsprung durch Technik brand can now touch many other areas of life.

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Vidyadhar

Vidyadhar takes charge of the quality and consistency of the content produced by CarDekho correspondents. With over 5 years of involvement in content & social media marketing, he believes that the www is an ever evolving phenomenon. Considering the ways the web algorithms are evolving, foreseeing the threats and opportunities and managing online business accordingly is going to play a crucial role. He comes from a highly valued content development background, where, during the first phase of his corporate career, he served Westpac, an Australian bank. Later, he came into the context of technical writing where he managed teams that dealt in producing maintenance guides meant for software applications. This part of his career bestowed upon him an outlying vision to see things from end-user perspective. He bagged a masters degree in English and is pursuing MBA in Digital Marketing at the moment.