Nokia to investigate car, smartphone integration

Handset manufacturer Nokia has released a new technology it hopes will be adopted as an industry standard for connecting smartphones with vehicles.

Together the Consumer Electronics for Automotive group, the company has released new technology it says will help users connect mobile applications with their cars, such as GPS and location-based apps.

“The average person spends between one and two hours per day in their car,” Nokia said in a statement.

“Given that their smartphone not only holds their favourite music but now, if it is a Nokia smartphone, comes with free worldwide navigation services (Ovi Maps), the next logical step is to provide an easy way to connect their smartphone to their car.