Google Launches New Car Home for Android

Mountain View-based Internet giant Google has just announced the launch of a new version of Car Home for Android, aimed at offering easier customization options for users, so that they can access the information they need much faster.

In case there are some yet unfamiliar with what Car Home for Android is all about, we should note that it is meant to transform the Android phone into an enhanced driving companion through delivering fast access to applications like GPS navigation, voice-activated commands, contacts, and more.

“Today, we’re releasing a new version of Car Home for Android which makes it easier to customize Car Home to get the information you need faster,” Markus Mühlbauer, Manager Engineering & Product, Google Automotive, notes in a post on Google's Blog.

“Now, you can also quickly customize the shortcuts to personalize Car Home with one-touch access to apps and information on your phone. Just select one of the icons marked “Add shortcut” to start creating your own shortcuts,” he continues.

On top of that, the new version of Car Home for Android enables users to drag-and-drop or remove shortcuts through simply long pressing on them.

Car Home can be launched from the handset, or when the device is mounted on the car dock. The handset can be set to switch to Car Home as soon as it pairs with a Bluetooth device.

In case there are some of you interested in having this option activated, they need to select “Settings” from the Car Home screen, then select the paired Bluetooth devices that should automatically trigger Car Home.

A wide range of other customization options is also available for Car Home for Android, the said blog post continues.

“You can now set your own wallpaper for Car Home. Just select “Settings” in Car Home and choose a wallpaper that fits your tastes. You can also customize the color of the shortcut icons to really make the Car Home experience your own,” Mühlbauer notes.

The new version of Car Home for Android can be enjoyed on handsets running under Android 2.2 Froyo, and can be found in the Android Market when one searches for “Car Home.”

Another change in the new app is that developers can modify existing apps to become compatible with Car Mode in a simpler manner than before.

“Apps which support Car Mode will show up in a “Car applications” category so they can easily be identified by you and added as a shortcut,” Google notes.

The new version of Car Home for Android is available for Android 2.2 (for Nexus One and Motorola Droid, an update to the Bolg post mentions). You can get the update from Android Market by searching for “Car Home” in Android Market or tap here on your Android device.