Now Have Business Meetings On The Go – In Your Volvo

With the digital era moving forward, it has become essential to remain connected with the world at all possible times. Moving a step ahead in in-car connectivity, Volvo has teamed up with Microsoft to introduce the popular conferencing platform – Skype for Business – in the new 2017 '90' series of its cars. Volvo is the first carmaker to launch a platform that’s embedded into the infotainment unit of the car which allows you to have a conference or join a meeting on the go.  

A new step towards the enhancement in in-car connectivity, Skype for Business allows users to view their upcoming meetings without having to reach for their cell phones or laptops. Along with the schedule, the list of participants is also available on the infotainment screen. The users can join ongoing meetings with just a click on the infotainment display. Though there is still no option for video conferencing, integrating a voice-conference functionality through your calendar is a pretty handy advancement in the idea of autonomous and connected cars. This system will come with Volvo’s new range of 90 series cars which currently consist of the XC90, S90, V90 and the V90 Cross Country. As of now only the first two Volvos are available in India, although the V90 Cross Country is expected in India in 2017. 

This partnership between Volvo and Microsoft will also explore the integration of Cortana –  Microsoft’s intelligent personal assistant – in the car's infotainment unit. If that happens, your Volvo will be able to take notes, set reminders and alarms, notify you about your meeting and do a whole lot more using just voice commands. This would require seamless voice recognition and contextual insights, which are essential in making an intelligent car. 

This is Microsoft's big entry into the world of car infotainment systems. As of now, people get options like Apple CarPlay to pair their iPhones and Android Auto to pair their android devices with their cars. But these platforms do not allow the user to have access to many third-party apps. With Skype for Business enabling drivers to have a meeting on the go, and Cortana soon working as your in-car assistant, getting more productive in fully autonomous cars doesn’t seem to be too far in the future.