QNX Software adds two 1394 alliances

QNX Software adds two 1394 alliances
By Charles J. Murray, EE Times
November 30, 2001 (6:48 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20011121S0050

OTTAWA — QNX Software Systems added more complexity to the jigsaw puzzle of automotive telematics partnerships this week, announcing two new alliances in the IDB-1394 network bus arena. The embedded operating systems maker said it is teaming with Mindready Solutions (Montreal), which offers an automotive reference platform for integrating IDB-1394, and Zayante Inc. (Scotts Valley, Calif.), a firm with executives who were among the original developers of 1394 at Apple Computer.

The new alliances give QNX a stronger presence in the automotive infotainment arena, especially in systems that purport to have interoperability with camcorders, DVD systems, video players, and other consumer electronics products that now employ an IEEE-1394 backbone. The alliances also add to an already powerful slate of automotive partnerships that include such firms as Intel, IBM, Hitachi, Motorola, NEC Electronics, Cepstral, Fonix, and Object Technology International.

QNX, which built its reputation on high-availability, high-reliability embedded operating systems in nuclear power plants and traffic lights, has recently been gaining ground in automotive dashboards. Three weeks ago, DaimlerChrysler announced that it would employ a QNX OS in its new hands-free telematics platform.

In detailing the reasons for the company's recent growth in the automotive segment, QNX vice president of marketing Alec Saunders pointed to the OS's reliability, while taking a subtle swipe at its major dashboard competitor, Windows CE. "The key here is high availability," Saunders said. "It would be a real problem if the devices were so unreliable that the consumer had to reboot while driving down the highway."