This just in: The QNX CAR application platform has clinched a finalist spot in the Adobe MAX awards, for its innovative use of Adobe software.Yeah, I know. That doesn't compute. Adobe software lets you design web pages, generate PDFs, and create fake photos of your Aunt Mabel smoking a pipe — none of which has anything to do with the car. So why the award nomination?
It's about Adobe Flash. You know, that technology for adding bling to websites. Except it's not just about websites. A special version, called Adobe Flash Lite, allows software developers to equip mobile phones, kiosks, and, yes, automobiles with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) created entirely in Flash. In fact, some 800 million devices already have GUIs based on Flash Lite.
Mind you, taking Flash, which cut its teeth on the desktop, and embedding it in a vehicle presents some challenges. That's where QNX CAR comes in. It provides several technologies to make Flash-based GUIs fast enough and bulletproof enough for in-car systems, even virtual instrument clusters. (Imagine having to reboot your speedometer while driving down the highway, and you get why the bulletproof thing is so important.)Now this is where it gets interesting. QNX technology is already running in more than 10 million in-car systems. Which means its QNX CAR platform provides a unique opportunity for Flash designers to target a whole new market: the automobile. In fact, QNX CAR even allows automakers to create application stores from which car owners can download Flash applications in a, well, flash. Which means even more opportunities for Flash developers down the road.
You can begin to see why Adobe chose QNX CAR. Because it allows Flash to go where it has never gone before. In fact, several automakers and automotive suppliers are already developing next-generation vehicles that will use the Flash-based QNX CAR platform.
Online voting for the Adobe MAX awards starts September 28. I'll link to the voting page as soon as it's up.
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