Skip to main content

Connected cars are the next mobile frontier, and BlackBerry has a head start

Blackberry QNX Car Entertainment and Telematics
Image used with permission by copyright holder

I attended the annual BlackBerry conference this week, and had a nice chat with the folks that make their QNX operating system. In case you don’t remember, BlackBerry acquired QNX back in 2010 and went on to use the software in its ill-fated PlayBook tablet, and new phones. Interestingly enough, it also ended up in cars.

Over the last few years, QNX has been slowly displacing Windows CE to become the dominant platform in connected cars. There are a number of reasons for this shift, but the biggest seems to be that car makers apparently don’t want to run Windows 8 embedded in their cars. This promises an interesting future, because the QNX developers understand that the future is highly mobile, and that bringing the desktop experience to a mobile platform is pretty much a non-starter. BlackBerry is also making some strong progress with its phones, and since QNX is a distributed OS (anybody can license it from BlackBerry), this could lead to a very different in-car-entertainment experience in future automobiles.

It’s all about integration

The future of integration is a near seamless connection between your smartphone and your car. It’s being able run applications off your phone on your car screen, streaming music using your phone’s 4G connection and playing it on your car stereo, and even controlling your phone with your car. You can glimpse it today in products like Aha Radio, but only in the few cars and after-market systems that support it, like Subaru’s BRZ. You can configure your phone to feed your car HD audio, and once you start the car, you easily move from listening to music on your phone’s speaker or headset to listening to the same track in your car with all controls active (like steering wheel volume, skip, etc.).

Today, you can have brand-new cars on the lot with entertainment systems that are over seven years old.

Take it a step further, and some phone apps today allow you to get information on your car’s performance and see virtual gages. Unfortunately, this capability requires a dongle that plugs into your car’s OBDII port – the small connector under your dash. In the future, this functionality will be more tightly integrated into your car, allowing you to replace most of your existing gauges with one display – maybe even your phone.

You’ll even be able to see what the car is doing if you aren’t driving it. For instance, imagine a future car alerting you that your child is driving in excess of the speed limit, or otherwise driving unsafely. Granted, you’ll be less excited if your spouse or insurance company gets this information about you, but the capability will be available regardless.

Always connected

Today, you need to drive to a dealership to update your car’s firmware, or to find out why the check engine light is on. An always-connected car will get software updates automatically, and you’ll know in real time when you have a significant problem under the hood. (Granted, I think the updates will come in at night while the car is parked, because none of us want that “shutting down in 10 minutes” experience while we are rushing to work in the morning.)

Connected cars will balance in-home Wi-Fi connections with on-the-road cell connections to pull in both current information (updated traffic, critical problems) and off-line updates. For instance, you might set the car up to download the latest shows for your kids at night, because streaming video while driving would likely max out your data plan.

Aha Radio
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This “always connected” experience could also translate to automatic alerts to 911, AAA or some other service if you have an accident, flat tire, or breakdown. By the time you pull over, the service could already be dispatched to your exact location, shortening your wait time significantly.

Your on-dash camera could capture interesting events as you drive and then dump those videos, along with virtual images of your gauges, to the cloud via Wi-Fi. You may want to turn off the microphone if you are particularly expressive when someone cuts your off, though, to avoid becoming an unexpected YouTube star.

More up-to-date and current

Unlike today’s cars, future connected cars should have the potential for a more modular approach to tech. This would allow dealers to keep new cars updated before they are sold, and for buyers to enjoy systems that are more current, at least for the three to five years they are likely to keep the new car. Today, you can have brand-new cars on the lot with entertainment systems that are over seven years old. A significant upgrade may have occurred during that model’s run, but the cars may have been manufactured up to 18 months earlier, and the hardware that goes in at assembly is likely much older than that. Nobody wants an out-of-date entertainment system, and used cars would also be more valuable if they could be easily updated.

Is Blackberry QNX the magic bullet?

Microsoft is having a tough time with operating systems this decade. It lost mobile to Android and iOS, and now appears to be losing automotive entertainment systems to BlackBerry. Both losses are connected to a Microsoft strategy that was too tied to the old desktop PC platform, and the fact that there are very few who want a desktop experience in their cars.

While these automotive solutions will work with a variety of phones, they should work best with BlackBerrys, which are also using the QNX OS, providing that company with an interesting strategic advantage. Within two years, I expect we’ll see the full strength of that advantage begin to emerge, and the end result will be a vastly improved user experience for car owners who also own BlackBerrys. It’s going to be a long two years, but I think I can now see a light at the end of the tunnel, and I’m pretty sure it isn’t a train this time.

Rob Enderle
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Rob is President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, a forward-looking emerging technology advisory firm. Before…
Waymo lays groundwork for robotaxi revolution
A Waymo car production line.

In recent years, Waymo has been edging toward its long-held goal of revolutionizing urban transportation by deploying a fully autonomous, scalable, and sustainable ride-hailing service. 

The Alphabet-owned company has just taken another step in that direction with the opening of a new vehicle factory in Metro Phoenix, Arizona, in partnership with automaker Magna.

Read more
Ram resurrects 1500 Express trim as an affordable option
ram 1500 express return affordable 2026

Ram is revving up excitement with the return of an old favorite—the 2026 Ram 1500 Express. Reintroduced as a more affordable option in the full-size truck lineup, the Express trim brings back a combination of rugged style, respectable performance, and most importantly, a price tag that won’t send buyers running for the hills.

Starting at $41,105 for the base Quad Cab configuration (and just under $45,000 for the Crew Cab), the new Express offers a budget-friendly alternative in a market where full-size trucks can easily cross the $60,000 mark.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more