Auto gadgets lag power of smartphones

Every time the mobile phone industry sports a cool new app -- just as the Siri voice research used in Apple's iPhone 4 -- automakers lumber into action with their own version three or four years later.

The intent of a user's question

Apple's Siri software is designed to figure out the intent of a user's question. For instance, it will respond to the statement, "I'm hungry" with a list of local restaurants.

Great stuff, eh? If automakers can adapt that innovation for vehicles, motorists wouldn't have to memorize menus of voice commands.

But there are three big problems. First, Siri draws on the limitless computing power of "the cloud" to understand and answer the user's questions.

That's problematic in a vehicle. Automakers have to design infotainment systems that will work even if the motorist doesn't have a smartphone or a data plan.

The motorist has a data plan

And even if the motorist has a data plan, the infotainment system must function in areas that lack mobile phone reception.

Second, the Apple iPhone -- or any other smartphone, in this connection -- relies heavily on visual readouts. However if you are barreling down the highway at 80 mph, you can't afford to squint at your display screen to sort out lunchtime options.

Third, the average smartphone's processor is a lot more sophisticated -- and expensive -- than the processors used for automotive infotainment. So there will always be a lag in computing power.

The bottom line

The bottom line: If you want to find out what your car's infotainment system will look like three to five years from now, buy a new cell phone. The auto industry will catch up -- in the end.