Monday, January 6th
by Michael
Really cool info and sounds very promising – we can’t really believe any of the hyperbole because we’ve been tricked too many times but this finally does sound like a system fit for a Land Rover(Range Rover)
BRAINS AND BRAWN: RUGGED NEW LAND ROVER DEFENDER SHOWCASES WORLD-FIRST DUAL eSIM CONNECTIVITY AT CES 2020
– 2020 Land Rover Defender features world-first dual-modem, dual eSIM design for enhanced connectivity and functionality. Powered by two Qualcomm® Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platforms, each with an integrated Snapdragon X12 modem
– With two LTE modems, the New Defender can download Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) updates without interruption and while streaming music and apps through the vehicle’s new Pivi Pro infotainment system
– The New Defender features 16 electronic modules that can be updated remotely, and uses cloud-based technology from CloudCar to provide personalization, content and services
– Comprehensive range of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems developed with Bosch including a 3D Surround Camera system
– The New Defender 110 and 90 will be featured at CES 2020, January 7-10, in the Qualcomm (LVCC, North Hall, 5606) and BlackBerry (LVCC, North Hall 7515) booths
(LAS VEGAS) – January 6, 2020 – The Land Rover Defender family will showcase its new dual eSIM connectivity at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, the world’s largest consumer electronics show, January 7-10.
The 2020 Land Rover Defender is the first vehicle with two embedded LTE modems for enhanced connectivity, while the vehicle’s new Pivi Pro infotainment system shares electronic hardware with the latest smartphones.
The fast and intuitive Pivi Pro system allows customers to make full use of the Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) technology in the New Defender without compromising the system’s ability to stream music and connect to apps. With its own designated LTE modem and eSIM, the SOTA technology can operate in the background without affecting the day-to-day connectivity provided by the separate modem and eSIM in the infotainment module.
The always-on, connected Pivi Pro setup sits at the heart of the cabin in the New Defender. A 10-inch high-resolution touchscreen allows customers to control numerous aspects of the vehicle using the same processing hardware as the latest smartphones. In addition, customers can connect two mobile devices at once using Bluetooth.
“With one LTE modem and eSIM dedicated to the Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) technology and the same set-up looking after music streaming and apps, New Defender has the digital capacity to keep customers connected, updated and entertained at all times anywhere in the world,” said Peter Virk, Director of Connected Car and Future Technology, Jaguar Land Rover. “You could liken the design to a brain, with each half enjoying its own connection for unrivalled and uninterrupted service. Like the brain, one side of the system looks after logical functions, like SOTA, while the other takes care of more creative tasks.”
Pivi Pro is equipped with its own battery, so the system is always on and able to respond immediately on startup. As a result, the navigation is ready to accept new destinations the moment the driver sits in the vehicle. The system allows customers to access to the latest software updates remotely – including navigation mapping data – without the need to visit retailers for updates to be installed.
The LTE connectivity behind the Jaguar Land Rover infotainment system also allows the New Defender to roam across multiple networks in different regions to help optimize connectivity. In addition, the cloud-based architecture provided by CloudCar is designed to make it easy to access and use content and services.
Land Rover has also confirmed the first New Defender SUVs will feature more SOTA capability than originally projected. At its Frankfurt Motor Show launch in September 2019, Land Rover announced that 14 individual electronic control modules would be able to receive remote updates, however, the first production vehicles will feature 16 control units capable of receiving SOTA updates. Land Rover engineers estimate that in-dealer software updates will be a thing of the past for Defender customers before the end of 2021 as additional SOTA modules come online, rising from the current 16 to more than 45.
Land Rover will showcase its advanced Pivi Pro technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, with the New Defender 110 and 90 taking pride of place on the Qualcomm (LVCC, North Hall, 5606) and BlackBerry (LVCC, North Hall 7515) stands respectively.
Qualcomm Technologies
Powering the Defender’s Pivi Pro infotainment and Vehicle Domain Controller are two high-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platforms, each with an integrated Snapdragon X12 LTE modem. The Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platform delivers unprecedented performance and technology integration designed to support highly advanced telematics, infotainment and digital clusters. It delivers rich, immersive and seamless connected in-vehicle experiences, while making next-generation vehicles more connected, smart and contextually aware.
With its power-efficient CPU cores, stunning and state-of-the-art GPU performance, integrated machine learning and powerful video processing capabilities, the Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platform is designed to provide unmatched connected in-car experiences, including responsive interfaces, immersive 4K graphics, high-definition media streaming, and immersive audio.
Two X12 LTE modems provide parallel high-bandwidth downlink and uplink connectivity across multiple networks, ultra-fast connectivity and lower latency for secure, reliable communications. Additionally, the X12 LTE modem features an integrated global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and automotive dead reckoning, increasing the vehicle’s capability to accurately keep track of its location and position.
BlackBerry QNX
The New Defender is the first Land Rover vehicle to include a domain controller that consolidates a number of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and driver convenience functions built on top of the QNX Hypervisor. Consolidating more systems onto fewer ECUs is integral to the future of automotive electrical design and will be the model for the Land Rover brand’s next-generation vehicle architecture.
Within the New Defender, the Blackberry QNX operating system helps deliver a smartphone-like experience for Pivi Pro infotainment users. The technology also powers the operating system for the latest generation TFT Interactive Driver Display, which can be configured to show vehicle instrumentation, navigation instructions and mapping information or a combination of the two2.
Certified to the highest level of ISO 26262 – ASIL D, the QNX operating system provides the ultimate peace of mind to Defender drivers. The first ASIL D-certified QNX Hypervisor for Safety ensures the multiple Operating Systems (OS) powering the safety-critical factors (e.g. body domain control) are isolated from non-safety critical systems (e.g. infotainment). This is critical to ensuring that compromised systems, or those requiring updates, won’t impact driving functions.
As a leader in safety-certified, secure and reliable embedded software, BlackBerry QNX technology is embedded in more than 150 million vehicles on the road today and used by top automakers for their ADAS, digital instrument clusters, connectivity modules, hands-free, and infotainment systems.
CloudCar
Jaguar Land Rover is the first global car maker to use CloudCar’s latest cloud-based services platform. Working with the world-leading developer of connected driver experiences brings new levels of customer convenience to the Pivi Pro infotainment fitted to the New Defender.
By scanning with smartphone QR codes displayed on Pivi Pro, user accounts are compatible with music streaming services including Spotify, TuneIn and Deezer that are automatically recognized and added to the cloud – transferring the driver’s digital life to their vehicle in a heartbeat. From this point, customers can access and stream content without even having their smartphone in the vehicle. Content provider updates are carried out in the cloud, so they are always up to date – even if the corresponding smartphone app has not been updated.
The CloudCar system supports a variety of service and content functionalities and recognizes dial-in numbers and codes, as well as locations, stored within calendar meeting invites. Customers can then navigate to or dial-in to meetings and conference calls with a single touch of the central touchscreen2.
The 2020 Land Rover Defender is the first vehicle to make use of the latest-generation technology, marking the next step in Jaguar Land Rover’s ongoing partnership with CloudCar, which dates back to 2017.
Bosch
Land Rover is on the road to a connected and autonomous future and the New Defender features a variety of technologies developed with Bosch to enhance the driving experience.
Alongside the latest Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which include Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Assist, Bosch has supported the development of the Land Rover brand’s innovative 3D Surround Camera System, which gives drivers a unique view of the vehicle’s immediate perimeter using four wide-angle HD cameras, each providing a 190-degree field-of-view.
Connected using a 3Gbit/s video backbone and fused with 14 ultrasonic sensors, the clever technology gives drivers a choice of vantage points including a top-down plan view and seamless perspective view. It even performs as a virtual scout, allowing customers to pan around the vehicle on screen for the ultimate Command Driving Position on and off-road.
Land Rover and Bosch have a relationship that stretches back decades and has pioneered numerous propulsion and motion control features that will go on to become the industry standard, including ClearSight Ground View, Land Rover Wade Sensing technology and Advanced Tow Assist features – all are enabled by the Bosch driver assistance platform.
Thursday, September 26th
by Michael
Full release notes for 19B (S19B_19.35.5-418001):
IMC (INFOTAINMENT MASTER CONTROLLER) – SOFTWARE VERSION: S19B_19.35.5-418001, ASSEMBLY PART NUMBER: LK72-19C204-BA (G2417191)
IMC (INFOTAINMENT MASTER CONTROLLER)
Software Release Date: 2019-09-17
NEW FEATURES INCLUDED IN THIS RELEASE
SMARTPHONE PACK
Where the vehicle can support it the Smartphone pack will be permanently enabled for Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto or Baidu CarLife in China with this update, even when updated using SOTA
(I-PACE ONLY)
CLIMATE CONTROL
Climate functionality will now be fully supported when the ignition is on
MEDIA PLAYER
On start-up media sources will now be remembered from last drive cycle
When playing a podcast a ‘+15’ seconds and ‘-15’ seconds will be displayed
(ELECTRIC VEHICLES ONLY)
NAVIGATION
Charging stations reachable with 1-4% of battery charge on arrival will now be displayed. Previously only charging stations reachable with 5% or more of battery charge on arrival would be displayed
Recharge on route now uses vehicle state of charge to plot charging points more accurately
SOTA
Improved SOTA screens
New notification icon for SOTA Update Pending
With the WI-FI change below, SOTA will be available for all InControl Touch Pro Vehicles with this software
WI-FI
Systems that were previously unable to connect to Wi-Fi can now do so, this enables SOTA for these vehicles
ISSUES FIXED IN THIS RELEASE
GENERAL/SYSTEM
General performance improvements
General stability improvements
The issue of no audio being available for a whole drive cycle seen in 19A is fixed in this update
Side Panel theme will no longer change when the date format is changed
AUDIO QUALITY
The user should longer(LAND ROVER TYPO) hear sporadic popping sounds coming from the speakers
SMART PHONE PACK
ANDROID AUTO
Improved google maps navigation audio when playing media using Android Auto
When a phone is connected by Android Auto the phone will no longer show as a Bluetooth® source as well
Android Auto Icon will now always disappear after the phone is disconnected
Audio replies to questions to Android Auto will no longer sometimes be truncated
General improved stability
The Android phone header will now always be displayed with the Android Auto icon
APPLE CARPLAY
Improved display of Apple CarPlay
General improved stability
When playing media from Apple CarPlay it will be displayed in the media view
The issue of the receiver of an outgoing call made using apple CarPlay sometimes not being able to hear the caller has been fixed
BLUETOOTH® PHONE
When system is set to French, messages will no longer be read out in English
(SDARS only) Messages received when skipping through SDARS channels will no longer be lost
BAIDU CARLIFE
Improved Baidu CarLife connectivity
General improved stability
AMBIENT LIGHTING
Fixed the ambient lighting control screen sometimes not displaying correctly
BLUETOOTH®
(Chinese language only) Bluetooth® name will no longer change after switching media to RSE (RSE)
Issue sometimes preventing Bluetooth® Audio playing for a drive cycle has been fixed
CD PLAYER
Improved user experience when switching between playing media with Apple CarPlay and CD
CLIMATE CONTROL
Temperature settings and adjustments will be available in the climate landing screen
When the vehicle is in defrost mode the purify icon will be disabled as the function will not operate in defrost mode
Third Row Climate Controls will only be available when the engine is running are they will not work when it is not.
Temperature unit will no longer change from Celsius to Fahrenheit in Side Panel when system language changed to Portuguese
Temperature control on rear screens will now work even when all zones are set to high
(North American Vehicles only)Smart Climate incorrectly showing the front passenger seat occupancy status
CONNECTIVITY
Signal bars for vehicle connection strength will now display correctly
When a phone is connected, Wi-Fi will now automatically enable after a power cycle
Error message "Unable to connect (015)" has been replaced with the more appropriate ‘Data limit reached. Add more mobile data to continue using (name of feature being used) and try again.’
ELECTRIC VEHICLE SETUP SCREEN
Creep mode will remain active until user deactivates it
RADIO
DAB RADIO
Improved DAB reliability
(Head Up Display (HUD)vehicles only) Media information for DAB radio will now be displayed correctly in the HUD
AM/FM RADIO
(InControl touch pro Duo only) Interactive Display Module ‘A’ (IDMA) will now show AM not FM when AM radio is playing
SATELLITE RADIO
SDARS will now always launch first time
SDARS screen will now load correctly every time
The correct song will now always play when selected from the satellite radio play list
General stability improvements
DUAL VIEW SCREENS
Improved DVD play back image when a display theme is selected
White patch in settings icon of Bluetooth® browse view settings icon in Dual view has been removed
ECO DATA SCREEN
Improved accuracy for ECO data when climate control is in ECO mode
FORWARD TRAFFIC DETECTION
Forward Traffic Detection alert will no longer stick on if the camera view is changed during an alert
PERSONALIZATION
Keys can now be switched to different existing profiles
LIVE
‘Live’ will now launch from the ‘Extra Feature’s’ screen every time
Issue of ‘Live’ sometimes not launching has been fixed
‘Live’ will no longer skip to the first page when opening a second one.
Issue of ‘Live’ applications sometimes only opening over part of the screen has been fixed
MEDIA PLAYER
General improved stability
Improved handling of the track duration bar
Tracks will no longer sometimes automatically pause 3 seconds before the end.
Correct graphic will now be shown in the background of the IPC (IPC) media panel
The issue stopping a podcast resuming after receiving then finishing a call has been fixed
NAVIGATION
STANDARD NAVIGATION
Improved stability when resuming a route
Improved accuracy of voice guidance
Improved accuracy of safety cameras
Empty pop up screens will no longer be displayed
Improved "Send to Driver" from Rear screens experience
Improved map display when traffic side panel displayed
The map displayed in the IPC will now always match the map in the touchscreen
Improved reliability of address summary screen when the city selected is not unique
Improved route calculation
General improved reliability
(Japan vehicles only)Rear screens will no longer display the Navigation icon as it cannot be used
Improved Traffic Info stability
When the map license is extended, the status will update immediately
ELECTRIC VEHICLE NAVIGATION FEATURES
Navigation will no longer reset after switching the IPC to full map view.
Improved charge station searching
PARKING AID
Issue of missing parking aid beeps has been fixed
When in reverse, the Parking aid 360 pop up will now work when selected
RSE
Rear screens will no longer activate when opening the front console panel
Time displayed on the rear screen will now match the front Touchscreen
"SIRIUS XM" button is now functional in "All Settings" in RSE
Smother operation of climate on the rear screen when using the remote control
(Rear Massage seat vehicles only) Massage location now called upper back and lower back on the rear screens to align with the front screen
SEAT CONTROLS
Passenger seat icon now correctly displayed after favorite seat settings are selected
Climate buttons will no longer be lost if the seat screen in opened multiple times in the same ignition cycle
The buttons for the seat massage for lower back and back are no longer swapped
SPEECH
Improved graphics of Speech tutorial
Improved speech ‘Call Contact’ reliability
TELEVISION
Television reception will now recover automatically after leaving a low reception area
Television will now only show ‘No reception’ when there is really no reception
(Brazil Vehicles only) Touchscreen will no longer show a blank screen after Brazil Television runs for around 2 minutes 30 seconds and rear screen will no longer show "No reception" message
TERRAIN RESPONSE
This update will make sure comfort program is highlighted when selected
This update will stop Terrain Response mode from blinking after being selected
Terrain Response mode will be displayed in the correct language (not just English)
TEXT TO SPEECH
Text to Speech will now behave correctly if it is played, then stopped, then played again
TIMED CLIMATE
Timed climate will now use the same icon in both the menus it can be launched from
TRANSLATIONS
Improved Translations for all languages
VALET MODE
Improved phone reconnection reliability went(LAND ROVER TYPO) exiting Valet Mode
WADE SENSING
Improved graphics on wade sensing screen when on a hill
WEB BROWSER
A horizontal scroll bar is now displayed when a web page has been zoomed into
General speed and reliability improvements
KNOWN ISSUES IN THIS RELEASE
THERE ARE NO KNOWN ISSUES IN THIS SOFTWARE RELEASE.
Wednesday, August 21st
by Michael
Full release notes for 19A4 (S19A_19.24.2-375121)
THE SOFTWARE RELEASE DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY NEW FEATURES.
APPLE CARPLAY
Call audio will no longer be lost on the system speaker after accepting the call
(E-PACE ONLY)
DRIVE INFORMATION SCREEN
Front and rear torque distribution will now be displayed correctly
Torque levels will now be displayed correctly
AUDIO
A customer may complain of popping noises on all sources of audio, this update will not fix it. The issue is currently under investigation and should be fixed in the next full software
release.
(BRAZILIAN VEHICLES WITH TV)
TELEVISION
If the customer is experiencing the front screen going blank after playing the TV for a few minutes and the rear screens report no reception, this update will not fix it. The issue is
currently under investigation and should be fixed in the next full software release.
Wednesday, August 21st
by Michael
Full release notes for 19A3 (S19A_19.20.4-363281)
SOFTWARE OVER THE AIR (SOTA)
Vehicles will now have SOTA activated as standard previously the user had to activate it on the touchscreen.
ANDROID AUTO
Improved automatic connection of Android Auto phones.
(CHINESE LANGUAGE ONLY)
BLUETOOTH®
Bluetooth® devices will now display their correct names in the source screen.
‘Source’ in the Bluetooth® screen is now correctly translated
(NEW EVOQUE (L551) ONLY)
LOWER TOUCHSCREEN CLIMATE CONTROL
Fix for ‘Climate not available’ appearing on the instrument cluster and the lower touchscreen frozen and controls not responding
PARKING AID AND CAMERAS
If front camera is selected it will no longer be replaced by the parking aid pop up when approaching an obstacle
Performance improvements for the reverse camera when rapidly switching from reverse to drive to reverse – Note: This issues is not applicable to USA vehicles
After the front camera view has been automatically activated the user can now use the softkeys at the bottom of the screen to navigate away from this view.
AUDIO
A customer may complain of popping noises on all sources of audio, this update will not fix it. The issue is currently under investigation and should be fixed in the next full software
release.
(BRAZILIAN VEHICLES WITH TV)
TELEVISION
If the customer is experiencing the front screen going blank after playing the TV for a few minutes and the rear screens report no reception, this update will not fix it. The issue is
currently under investigation and should be fixed in the next full software release.
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