Consumers want their digital lifestyle to go everywhere they do: home, office, and car. They want seamless, integrated connectivity in all of these venues between all devices, including uninterrupted access to email, the Internet, music, DVDs, news, and navigation information.

Carmakers and automotive vendors face numerous challenges in their quest to bring out in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) solutions. Time and cost of development are always concerns. But the process is complicated by the need for systems that can support a number of different applications. These solutions must integrate seamlessly with the plethora of existing digital formats and devices (MP3 players, cell phones, GPS technology, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth*, DVDs, etc.) and be interoperable with common PC and networking technology. Consumers don't necessarily want to wait for new cars with these features; they want to add IVI systems to the cars they already own.

Intel and Portwell are taking some of the pressure off automotive vendors through the development of a standards-based IVI platform that fits most existing car audio slots. Based on the Intel® Single DIN in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) reference design, the Portwell* PCS-8220 SBC provides a platform for the delivery of multiple IVI applications and allows developers to bring out a complete solution quickly without incurring high design costs. The Portwell product uses the tiny Intel® Embedded Compact Extended (Intel® ECX) form factor to address the low power, low thermal envelope of automobile dashboards. And because the solution is based on high-performance Intel® technology, it integrates seamlessly with most existing PC and networking technology, common operating systems and digital formats.