Volvo has announced that it will now offer the very first in-car productivity tool ‘Skype for Business’ in collaboration with Microsoft. This tool will make its debut with Volvo’s 90 Series cars and would notify passengers about upcoming meetings and participant details. Skype will be accessible to travellers via a large screen display that will enable them to join meetings via a single click.
Skype is used by millions of people everyday across the globe for work as well as for informal purposes. Its presence on a car’s dashboard will enhance time utility while travelling alongside keeping your attention on the road. The feature will presumably work upon connected mobile data and help you stay online on the move.
Anders Tylman-Mikiewicz, Vice President Consumer Connectivity Services at Volvo Car Group said in a blog post,
Skype for Business represents another big step forward for our in-car connectivity and communication offer. With the dawn of autonomous cars we see a future where flexible in-car productivity tools will enable people to reduce time spent in the office. This is just the beginning of a completely new way of looking at how we spend time in the car.
Apart from it, the Swedish automobile maker is also planning to integrate Cortana (Microsoft’s intelligent personal assistant) in its systems for seamless voice recognition and contextual insights under this collaboration with Microsoft.
Ben Canning, Director of Product Management for Skype for Business at Microsoft commented on the launch, saying,
Volvo Cars is leading the way in its recognition that the nature of work is increasingly mobile. People need to be productive from anywhere – including their cars,We’re thrilled to extend modern meetings to Volvo cars.
These days automobile maker’s are constantly striving towards enhancing car’s infotainment systems. After Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto, we are yet to witness Cortana’s materialization in Volvo cars.
