Yesterday we saw an example of HTC creating some hardware to interact with their HTC Butterfly smartphone and earlier this week we reported on the DIAL project to bring easier interactivity between Android devices and smart TVs. Today we have an example of how Android developers, with the help of an Android-friendly manufacturer, are extending the ecosystem in vehicles. Pioneer makes some head units for their vehicle systems that let you control the radio using an app called Pioneer AppRadio2. stackTrase Software has taken that platform and extended it so that your Android device can be mirrored on the vehicle's head unit using their app called ARLiberator for AppRadio. The mirroring goes beyond showing what is on the smartphone though as you can actually control the smartphone from the head unit's touchscreen.
The app does require an ample investment of time and money relative to most other apps. ARLiberator will only work on a rooted device, so you will have to accomplish that first. Once rooted, the app can be purchased for $24.99 from the Google Play Store. Once installed and paired to the Pioneer head unit, ARLiberator mirrors your Android smartphone including all apps to the Pioneer touchscreen. In a couple videos showing how the system and app can work together, you can get a good idea of how useful this is beyond playing music through your car audio. Some examples include quick gestures to make phone calls or using Google Maps and Navigation as a GPS solution. If you are parked, you could even check your e-mail or text messages.
Check out the videos below demonstrating ARLiberator for AppRadio and below those you will find links to the app in the Google Play store if you are interested in grabbing it.
Google Play Download Link
