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24-05-2018, 05:14 PM
Social media and driving can soon mix with voice WeChat
Technology companies and carmakers are competing for control of the in-vehicle infotainment system and content
Celia Chen
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 24 May, 2018, 10:39am
UPDATED : Thursday, 24 May, 2018, 4:44pm
Tencent Holdings said it was working on a voice-operated version of its popular WeChat social app for use in vehicles, a move that would extend the platform’s content and services to millions of drivers on the road.
“[The pure voice version] without screen can guarantee people keep their eyes on the road, and not on smartphone screen for even one second,” Pony Ma Huateng, Tencent CEO, said at the Tencent Cloud Summit in Guangzhou on Wednesday, according to local media reports. “If [our pure voice] version comes successfully, it will be embedded into Internet of Vehicles and work in a very smart way.”
Tencent has not pushed its WeChat service in its original form for in-vehicle use out of safety concerns, he said. “We do not want our users to eye on screen and read WeChat message [when they drive]. There are potential risks if they do so.”
Some vehicles companies have developed and embedded WeChat in their in-vehicle infotainment systems, but Ma said these versions were not authorised by Tencent.
More details in http://www.scmp.com/tech/social-gadgets/...on-drivers
Technology companies and carmakers are competing for control of the in-vehicle infotainment system and content
Celia Chen
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 24 May, 2018, 10:39am
UPDATED : Thursday, 24 May, 2018, 4:44pm
Tencent Holdings said it was working on a voice-operated version of its popular WeChat social app for use in vehicles, a move that would extend the platform’s content and services to millions of drivers on the road.
“[The pure voice version] without screen can guarantee people keep their eyes on the road, and not on smartphone screen for even one second,” Pony Ma Huateng, Tencent CEO, said at the Tencent Cloud Summit in Guangzhou on Wednesday, according to local media reports. “If [our pure voice] version comes successfully, it will be embedded into Internet of Vehicles and work in a very smart way.”
Tencent has not pushed its WeChat service in its original form for in-vehicle use out of safety concerns, he said. “We do not want our users to eye on screen and read WeChat message [when they drive]. There are potential risks if they do so.”
Some vehicles companies have developed and embedded WeChat in their in-vehicle infotainment systems, but Ma said these versions were not authorised by Tencent.
More details in http://www.scmp.com/tech/social-gadgets/...on-drivers
Specuvestor: Asset - Business - Structure.