IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2015 - 91

Siri program. Text messages can be read onscreen,
and can be entered through voice-to-text translators.
Like a smartphone, smartwatches often can relay signals through haptic feedback. Since they touch the
skin, there is intriguing potential for the substantial
refinement of haptic signaling.
One distinct function of the smartwatch is the potential for self-tracking. Since, unlike the smartphone, the
smartwatch sits against the skin, some offer applications that monitor the user's own body, for instance
measuring heartrate. Automakers such as Nissan and
Audi are exploring options for smartwatches that link up
directly to the car, simultaneously cross-monitoring the
automobile and the driver [11], [12].
Perhaps the most prominent part of the appeal
of smartwatches is the ease of access; strapped to
the wrist and waiting to be activated, a smartwatch's
functions are easily available through voice and
touch interface. This poses a distinct advantage over
smartphones, which require the (only comparatively!)
onerous tasks of drawing them from the pocket and
fumbling them about.
Insofar as smartwatches provide a new opportunity
to access apps and texting while behind the wheel of a
car, we can consider them to be a part of a third wave
of in-cab connectivity. An additional form of wearable
computing that must be considered here is heads-up
displays, such as Google Glass.
Since its first unveiling in April 2012, Google Glass
has captivated the imagination of the tech savvy just
as much as it has divided them [13]. Glass is a headsetstyle computing device worn like a pair of eyeglasses.
But rather than lenses, Glass features a small mechanism that projects images and information into the
user's visual space. The interface occurs through tapping and swiping a finger across the unit beside the
face, or through voice interaction. As a form of smart
computing, Glass enables any number of applications.
Anything from maps, texts, pictures, to news headlines
can be displayed in the upper right corner of the user's
visual field. Glass can provide notifications of incoming communications, such as emails or texts, then read
them aloud, and enable the user to dictate replies.
Pictures and short videos can be taken of whatever
stands ahead of the user, snapped simply with a tap of
the device, or a voice command. Glass has even seen
some field usage, most visibly though the Google Glass
Explorers program, in which the product was made
available to a select set of in-the-world product testers
known as Google Glass "Explorers." But the Explorer
program was shut down in January 2015, and the future
of the device remains uncertain [14].
Although Glass failed to make the transition from
development to the mass market, Google and others
December 2015

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continue to develop heads-up display computing technologies. Insofar as a device places images and information into the user's visual field, we are presented
with a novel form of possible driver distraction, one in
which the potentially distracting items are presented
such that drivers may keep eyes pointing roughly forward. Rather than drawing eyes away to a separate
screen, like a smartphone, the potentially distracting items are inserted into the driving-relevant visual
space. Initial studies on the use of Google Glass for
texting-while-driving show it to be less distracting than
handheld texting, but more distracting than not texting
at all [15], [16].

Carplay makes it possible for
drivers to engage a selection
of the iPhone's apps, calling function,
navigation, and texting.

In addition to the advent of wearable computing
devices, a second development that can be considered
part of a third wave of in-cab connectivity is dashboard
systems developed by the smartphone companies themselves and designed with interface that smoothly integrates the familiar modes of mobile computing. The
two systems that must be considered are Apple's "Carplay"[17] and Google's "Android Auto" [18]. In the case
of Carplay, Apple has partnered with a number of automakers to offer built-in dashboard infotainment systems
that run on Apple's iOS operating platform, pair with the
driver's iPhone, and display the familiar iPhone icons
as part of the dashboard's touchscreen interface. A car
equipped with Carplay makes it possible for drivers to
engage a selection of the iPhone's apps, calling function,
navigation, and texting. The Siri personal assistant application enables access to these features through conversation-style voice command. In the case of Android
Auto, Google has similarly partnered with automakers
to have the infotainment systems of their cars run on
the Android platform. Cars with the Android Auto system
feature an Android-style interface, complete with the
Google Now assistant application, enabling touchscreen
and voice command access to apps, Google Maps,
phone calls, and texting. Let us refer to such systems
here as "smartphone-style dashboard interface."
Of course there are further developments on
the hor izon beyond wea rable computing a nd

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