A few months ago, Apple unveiled CarPlay, which was basically iOS in the Car renamed. It provided users with an iOS-like interface that allowed them to interact with certain features on their phone, while placing it all in front of the driver so that they won’t be distracted by their mobile devices on the road. Now according to the folks at Android Police, they have learnt that Google is developing something similar as well called KITT.
The name is a nod to the television show, Knight Rider, in which the self-driving, talking car is also known as KITT (which is abbreviated from Knight Industries Three Thousand). However instead of being a dashboard installation, KITT will be an Android feature instead, meaning that users will be able to use it in any car that they drive, thus allowing for a higher rate of adoption compared to CarPlay.
Some of the features of KITT includes the fact that it is always on and always listening, meaning that users will be able to activate KITT without having to touch the phone or look at it. In fact, one of the ways to get KITT up and running is to wave your hand over the screen, which will then take you to Google Now where the rest of the services can be accessed.
KITT is also expected to function as you might expect from a hands-free experience, and will read out your messages, notifications, and even links to websites, although Google is reportedly considering a “read it later” feature so that you won’t be distracted while you drive. However in order to get KITT to work, Google wants users to plug their devices into your car’s 12V socket, to help prevent loss on battery life while using it.
No word on when Google will be announcing this new feature, but it does sound pretty exciting. Until we hear from Google officially, we suggest you take it with a grain of salt for now, but with Google I/O taking place towards the end of June, perhaps more details will be shared then.