Still, we were disappointed that there's no way to change from one app to the next via the in-car interface.

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Lumia smartphones will have some attractive features such as Nokia Drive, which is a full-fledged personal navigation service with free turn-by-turn navigation and dedicated in-car user interface.

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In both cases the sockets will allow fast-charging and will include a communications interface so an electric car can, for instance, identify itself for billing purposes when plugged into a public recharging spot.

ECONOMIST: Rational consumer

Everything save for the screen and the in-car control mechanisms are already provided in most of today's flagship phones: internet access, NFC, Bluetooth, multitasking capabilities, hundreds of thousands of applications and operating systems that are all too happy to interface with in-car GUIs.

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Moreover, the 2010 study "Staying Connected on the Go: A Look at In-Vehicle Smartphone Integration Systems" conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association reports that 55 percent of smartphone owners prefer voice commands as their user interface for in-car smartphone integration, making the business case for SYNC and AppLink even more compelling.

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R-LINK is a straightforward, user-friendly interface that covers all the car's functions and data.

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Nokia Drive delivers a full-fledged personal navigation device (PND) with free, turn-by-turn navigation and dedicated in-car-user-interface.

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Garmin's automotive OEM group utilizes the company's long-standing experience in interface and hardware design from its automotive, avionics and marine segments to develop innovative in-car navigation, telematics and infotainment systems.

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