One marketing phrase sums up today’s world: “There’s an app for that.”
Thanks to the influx of smartphones and tablets — and in no small part due to Apple’s domination of tech trends — small but useful software programs seem to be everywhere.
That includes today’s newest pickup trucks.
Most 2013 pickup trucks include technology that lets you connect your smartphone to play music and run special apps directly from a digital screen on the dash. Here’s a look at a few of the most popular in-car apps available today.
MUSIC
One of the most widely available music apps is Pandora. Just like the Pandora available on the Web and on smartphones, the in-car version streams music that fits your musical taste.
For example, you could tell it to play Diana Ross, and Pandora would find songs by Diana Ross and other Motown singers with a similar sound. It’s a fun way to find sounds that you like and discover great music that you’d never heard before.
It works beautifully in pickup trucks for several reasons. It’s simple to use, making it easy to operate while driving. And it feels very familiar, since most drivers are used to listening to music while on the road.
Another app that’s becoming available in pickup trucks is iHeartRadio. It streams the same programs that are available over broadcast stations and lets you listen to radio programming from across the nation, no matter where you’re driving.
SERVICES
Some new in-pickup trucks apps make finding entertainment easier, too.
OpenTable is a popular service for securing reservations at restaurants across the country, and it’s becoming available in many pickup trucks today. MovieTickets.com has an in-car app that lets you buy tickets and see movie listings from the truck’s digital screen.
Yelp is a service that lets users review restaurants and businesses, and it’s now available in some pickup trucks. And Microsoft’s Bing search engine has an in-car version that’s being adopted.
INTO THE FUTURE
It’s important to remember that we’re in the early stages of a tech revolution happening in pickup trucks cabins. Not all these apps are available in every truck.
Looking forward, though, not only are apps likely to become more popular in pickup trucks, but the auto manufacturers are opening up their systems to developers who can create new and innovative apps that we couldn’t even imagine today.
