We kept hearing about Terminal Mode, the Nokia technology for car mobile apps, but it is only now that it has been announced in a more official fashion. There have been a lot of collaborations between the Finnish mobile manufacturer and other major companies out there, including car makers, electronics manufacturers and other communications experts, but it is with CE4A (Consumer Electronics for Automotive), a group made up of five major automotive companies, that they make Terminal Mode officially available out there.

This group consists of the Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche and Volkswagen car brands and these will be the first vehicles out there integrating the Terminal Mode tech, according to InformationWeek. Timo Ali-Vehmas, Nokia's head of compatibility and industry collaboration, said, "Nokia is an active member of many open standardization initiatives and forums globally, and is keen to enable open collaboration and broader use of innovation for the faster adoption of new services and products for the benefit of consumers."

The 0.9 version of the Terminal Mode specification can be found on Nokia's official website and contains a lot of details regarding the ability of the Terminal Mode to enhance driver's experience but allowing them to control mobile phone applications from their car and vice versa. TM supports music rendering, messaging and email; if this new tech is implemented with the right infotainment solution, the cars could further develop into the futuristic vehicles we could only see in Hollywood movies so far.

Nokia's Terminal Mode will be powered by their online service called Ovi, Ovi Maps being one of the key features present in Terminal Mode-enabled cars. Audi plans to take things a little further, by letting their seats be heated by these apps with the “download heated seats” added to their infotainment gadget. Autocar says a new multi-function touch sensitive switch-gear similar to the touch pad introduced on the new A8 will activate the sits. There will be a lot more technologies coming through Nokia's Terminal Mode in the future and Audi will be one of the first car manufacturers to have them.


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