We've talked on several other occasions about Nokia's Terminal Mode initiative, a technology that will enable a totally new way of mobile devices and car infotainment systems to seamlessly work together. The Finnish company's been gaining a lot of support for this tech from various car manufacturers and car accessory developers, the latest to shake its hand (figuratively speaking) being none other than Clarion, one of the world's best-known producers of high-end infotainment solutions.

Through this partnership, Clarion aims to develop the smartphone interface that Nokia and Consumer Electronics for Automotive, CE4A, are proposing as an industry standard, as well as to build an application service business for in-car devices utilizing the Ovi Store application service by Nokia.

"By integrating the Terminal Mode technology into in-car information systems such as car navigation developed by Clarion, we will be able to bring to customers the vast array of applications and services available to smartphones on in-car devices. The integration of in-car devices with smartphones will provide better user experiences for consumers and lead to radical changes in in-car information systems," said Tatsuhiko Izumi, president of Clarion.

"Through a stronger collaboration with Nokia and NAVTEQ, which supplies map information for our car navigation systems in overseas markets, it will be possible to utilize smartphone functions and services for in-car information system functions and support services such as intelligent transport systems (ITS), advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and navigation coordination,” added Mr. Izumi.

"Nokia believes that Terminal Mode is an ideal base for industry innovation, allowing existing and new kinds of services to be extended into the car," commented Vesa Luiro, Automotive Director at Nokia. "We are already committed to collaboration with the automotive industry and this alliance with Clarion will further improve the user experience in the car and enable consumers to access their favorite internet services and smartphone applications, wherever they are."

Naturally, we're still waiting to see some actual, real-life proof of this partnership, but even so, one thing's becoming more and more clear: the moment when our cars will look/behave like those we used to see in Sci-Fi movies is a lot closer than anyone might have suspected.


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