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QNX Leads New Phase of Digital Instrument Cluster Design for a Safer, More Enjoyable Drive

Trusted QNX technology enables seamless integration of navigation, infotainment, and critical driving information for next generation of digital instrument clusters.

DETROIT, TU-Automotive Detroit, Booth C92, June 3 QNX Software Systems Limited, a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited, today demonstrated how QNX® OS technology provides a flexible and highly reliable platform for powering next-generation digital instrument clusters. According to a report from IHS Automotive, Automotive User Interfaces 2014, “digitalization of the modern car is progressing at breakneck speed, with research showing that more than 70 percent of cars will ship with a digital display in the instrument cluster by 2018.”

The QNX booth at TU-Automotive Detroit features a “cluster innovation wall” that showcases the results of QNX OS technology integrated with user interface design tools from the industry’s leading cluster software providers and members of the QNX automotive ecosystem, including 3D Incorporated’s REMO HMI Runtime, Crank Software Inc.’s Storyboard Suite, DiSTI Corporation’s GL Studio, Elektrobit’s EB GUIDE and EB street director, HI Corporation’s exbeans UI Conductor, and Rightware’s Kanzi UI software. The pre-integration with a rich choice of partner tools enables Tier 1 suppliers and automakers to choose the user interface technologies and design approaches that best address their needs.

As more and more sensors are added to vehicles, next-generation digital instrument clusters will need the ability to deliver the right information at the right time to the driver. Clusters that can deliver context-aware data (such as a curve speed warning if the driver is nearing a sharp bend in the road) will allow drivers to experience a safer, more enjoyable drive. The QNX-powered virtual cockpit in the Audi TT is an example of how clusters can provide rich, situationally relevant presentation of infotainment and traditional driving information.

This evolution of digital instrument clusters requires powerful hardware and software solutions that can support high-level application environments and rich graphics while presenting critical information, such as telltales (engine warning lights or ABS indicators, for example), to the driver in a fast, predictable, and highly reliable fashion. The need to cleanly isolate critical from non-critical software functions in the same environment is driving the requirement for ISO 26262 certification of clusters. QNX OS technology, including the QNX OS for Automotive Safety, is ideally suited for environments where a combination of infotainment, advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and safety-related information are displayed. Building a cluster with the ISO 26262 ASIL-D certified QNX OS for Automotive Safety can make it simpler to keep software functions isolated from each other and less expensive to certify the end cluster product.

“The digital instrument cluster is undergoing a major transformation as automakers and tier one suppliers work to achieve a better, more distinctive driving experience,” said Andrew Poliak, director of global business development, QNX Software Systems. “When it comes to integrating critical and non-critical applications and information in a cluster environment, safety and security are top priorities. Moreover, one design does not fit all. The reliability and flexibility of QNX technology, coupled with our extensive partner ecosystem, allows customers to pick the cluster technology and supplier best-suited to their specific needs, including performance, customization, and upgradeability.”

With software deployments in more than 50 million cars, QNX Software Systems is the premier software platform supplier for the automotive infotainment and telematics market. The company is extending its reach into the vehicle with products such as the QNX OS for Automotive Safety, which builds on the company’s deep experience in safety-critical applications.

Other Demonstrations in the QNX Booth
In addition to the cluster innovation wall, QNX Software Systems will show the latest QNX technology concept car, based on a Maserati Quattroporte GTS, and the QNX reference vehicle, based on a Jeep Wrangler. Both vehicles integrate an array of third-party and QNX technologies — including sensors, cameras, navigation engines, cloud-based services, speech interfaces, and acoustics software — to create experiences that simplify driving tasks, warn of possible collisions, and enhance overall driver awareness. The company will also demonstrate the new QNX Hypervisor and upgrades to the QNX CAR™ Platform for Infotainment.

The QNX booth will also feature a demonstration of the BlackBerry® IoT Platform, highlighting its over-the-air (OTA) update solution, which is designed to maintain and enhance the software in infotainment systems, telematics units, and other end-points in the vehicle. A customizable dashboard shows how an automaker can track software update data remotely, viewing progress by update package, individual vehicle, or any segment of the fleet, and diagnosing the type and frequency of update failures that have occurred.

Speaking Engagements
Andrew Poliak, global director of business development at QNX Software Systems, will speak on the following topics at TU-Automotive Detroit on June 3:

About QNX Software Systems
QNX Software Systems Limited, a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited, is a leading vendor of operating systems, middleware, development tools, and professional services for connected embedded systems. Global leaders such as Audi, Siemens, General Electric, Cisco, and Lockheed Martin depend on QNX technology for their in-car electronics, medical devices, industrial automation systems, network routers, and other mission- or life-critical applications. Visit www.qnx.com, and follow @QNX_News on Twitter. For updates on the company’s automotive work, follow @QNX_Auto and visit qnxauto.blogspot.com

About BlackBerry
A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols “BB” on the Toronto Stock Exchange and “BBRY” on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.blackberry.com.

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QNX Software Systems Limited (QSS) is a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited. Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “intend”, “believe”, and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by QSS and/or BlackBerry Limited in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors that QSS and/or BlackBerry believe are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause QSS’s and/or BlackBerry’s actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of BlackBerry’s Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on QSS’s and/or BlackBerry’s forward-looking statements. BlackBerry and QSS have no intention and undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. QSS and/or BlackBerry are not responsible for and assume no obligations or liability and make no representation, warranty, endorsement, or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third-party products or services.