apple and google are making a play to dominate your car’s dashboard, but they’re not the only firms working on the technology at this year’s mobile world congress in barcelona, chip maker qualcomm is showcasing a maserati kitted out with optical and ultrasonic sensors, touchscreen displays and rear view cameras and with 4g technology built in, the concept car doesn’t need a phone to get online so can double up as a wi fi hotspot for all passengers the maserati (pictured) is on display at this year’s mobile world congress in barcelona and uses qualcomm technology to power its sensors, camera and on board modems it has 4g technology built in, so doesn't need a phone to get online, and this means it can double up as a wi fi hotspot for all passengers  like with apple’s carplay and google’s android auto, the maserati concept has a display that can be used with voice control, touch and hand gestures by default, the screen displays map info, controls, music playback, and phone calls but it also splits into three to show ‘now playing’ along the bottom, maps on the top left and media on the top right although the system can sync with smartphones and tablets   and uses a screen mirroring technology called mirrorlink   it is more advanced than apple and google’s systems because it doesn’t need one to work instead it comes with built in apps and 4g multiple phones and tablets can then connect to this 4g network to share the car’s ‘wi fi’ qualcomm’s vice president for product management nakul duggal told mailonline it is also developing a system to project phone displays over usb to the head unit the maserati (pictured) is a concept but qualcomm’s vice president for product management nakul duggal said it showcases the potential for connected cars and believes these kinds of systems will be in cars soon  the concept has a display that can be used with voice control, touch and hand gestures by default, the screen displays map info, car controls (left), music playback, and recent calls the system syncs with phones using screen mirroring technology called mirrorlink (right) but also comes with its own mobile network  the maserati is also kitted out  cameras that provide an almost 360 degree view of the car and warn of impending collisions, obstacles and more the rear view camera can additionally be used for parking assist features (pictured) this technology runs on blackberry's qnx car platform  earlier this week ford unveiled its latest app that not only shows how far you can travel on the power you have remaining, it bases its predictions on your unique driving style called myford mobile, it also lets drivers remotely access their vehicles meaning they can set the cabin temperature on a cold morning before they leave their house the app was announced at mobile world congress in barcelona and currently works with a selection of ford’s electric and hybrid cars it specifically suits electric cars because the app can directly link to the battery to see a status level and accurate mileage but ford spokesman abraham phillip told mailonline the team is working on developing the software for petrol and diesel range elsewhere, the car features a wipower wireless charging surface the sensor and camera setup provides an almost 360 degree view of the car and warns of impending collisions, obstacles and more plus a ‘digital instrument cluster’   or screen behind the wheel   shows the driver information from all the car’s systems at a glance details about fuel, speed and any technical faults are updated in real time, including an 8 inch image from the rear view parking assist camera to show the road behind and advanced map data plots the road ahead   even if it is beyond the view of the driver this technology runs on the qnx car platform which is already running in more than 20 million vehicles at the same time, a network of sensors work together to boost driver safety these include a light detection and ranging (lidar) sensor that shows a forward facing collision warnings up to 164ft (50 metres) a set of ultrasonic and optical sensors near each wing mirror spot pedestrians, cyclists, and obstacles in the blind spots, helping the driver make safer lane changes and turns a set of ultrasonic and optical sensors near each wing mirror (pictured) spot pedestrians, cyclists, and obstacles in the blind spots, helping the driver make safer lane changes and turns  a ‘digital instrument cluster’   or screen behind the wheel   shows the driver information from all the car’s systems at a glance plus navigation details (pictured) these details are updated in real time and advanced map data plots the road ahead   even if it is beyond the view of the driver  the mirrors show real time video footage to offer a wide field of view, plus a warning bar that goes from green (shown) to red when an obstacle approaches  and the mirrors themselves show real time video footage offering a wider field of view than traditional mirrors meanwhile, the rear view camera, with ultrasonic proximity sensors, provides an unobstructed view of what’s coming up from behind and when a warning is made it appears on a strip of leds on the windshield this means, for example, that if a driver starts indicating right but it isn’t safe to move over   if a cyclist is approaching for example, or they’re too close to a car   the strip will glow red if it’s safe to move over or change lanes, the light glows green a similar system is used on the wing mirrors to warn of nearby obstacles the car is a concept but mr duggal said it showcases the potential for connected cars and believes these kinds of sensors and systems will be in vehicles in the near future apple firm first toyed with an in car system at its worldwide developer conference in june 2013 at that point it was known as 'ios in the car' but following changes in the design team the system was unveiled at last year's geneva motor show, under the moniker carplay (apple maps on carplay pictured) elsewhere google used its  annual developer i/o in june to unveil android auto, a key feature of its latest operating system android lollipop android auto works with any android phone to show a user's information on the dashboard (google maps on android auto pictured)
mobile world congress barcelona maserati qualcomm lidar 164ft 50 metres ultrasonic
the car is on display at this year’s mobile world congress in barcelona . maserati uses qualcomm technology to power its sensors and cameras . lidar provides collision warnings up to 164ft (50 metres) ahead . ultrasonic and optical sensors on side mirrors spot pedestrians, cyclists, and obstacles in blind spots . rear view camera and sensors beam unobstructed view of behind the car . and wing mirrors are replaced with real time video footage 