TORRANCE, CA—(Marketwire – Mar 20, 2013) – Abalta Technologies, a leading developer of software solutions for the automotive industry, today announced the launch of WEBLINK, which enables smartphones to operate as the primary in-vehicle computing device in connected cars. By easily integrating the WEBLINK client software, car manufacturers can cost-effectively provide customers with an up-to-date and customized in-vehicle app experience in a safe and seamless way.

WEBLINK’s ability to run on all major smartphone operating systems also enables application developers to design driver-centric apps with ease. Existing HTML5 apps can be readily deployed to the in-vehicle environment and can be easily customized for OEM brands and target demographic groups, geographical region or user preference. As smartphones increase in processing power and capabilities, so will the vehicle’s infotainment system.

Examples of the first kinds of apps available with WEBLINK include:

  • WebNav – a navigation app from TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.
  • Slacker (www.slacker.com) – the world’s most complete music service, offering free access to millions of songs and hundreds of expert-programmed stations
  • Wcities (wcities.com) – an International city event guide
  • Parkopedia (en.parkopedia.com) – a parking map for drivers to easily find parking around their destination

Until now, car manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers have tried to meet consumer demands for apps in their vehicles by building them natively or by incorporating a web browser directly in the car infotainment system. These solutions have proven too expensive for app developers to deploy across multiple proprietary infotainment systems, and cannot easily accommodate the latest versions or newer apps. Since WEBLINK leverages the constantly-updated smartphone browser, OEMs do not need to add and maintain a web browser on the vehicle head unit to stay current. The software also provides flexible deployment options for handling different head unit capabilities, and WEBLINK renders the application to the correct size of the head unit, completely avoiding image distortion or stretching.

“WEBLINK will be the key to unlocking the market potential for in-vehicle applications,” said Michael O’Shea, president and CEO of Abalta Technologies. “People want to use their smartphone apps while they’re in the car. This is a huge opportunity for the OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to provide apps in a safe and meaningful way while offering developers low cost access to the car ecosystem. WEBLINK allows them to do just this.”

The WEBLINK software is available today. For more information or to discuss licensing WEBLINK, please contact [email protected].