SAN DIEGO ? During a keynote at CTIA Enterprise & Applications 2011, a Cadillac executive announced the company?s new in-vehicle experience called CUE, which pairs entertainment and information data from up to ten Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices.

CUE, which stands for Cadillac User Experience, also pairs entertainment and information data from USBs, SD cards and MP3 players with a vehicle infotainment system. The new technology features natural voice recognition, fewer buttons and larger icons.

?Today, consumers are juggling BlackBerry, Android and iPhone devices,? said Don Butler, vice president of Cadillac, Detroit. ?It?s no surprise they want that convenience extended to their vehicles.

?Seven out of 10 consumers say they want some form of connectivity in their vehicles,? he said. ?We have already launched MyCadillac for iPhone and Android devices and this year we launched OnStar MyLink.

?Today, we?re about to take the next step.?

Take a cue
CUE will debut in 2012 in the Cadillac XTS and ATS luxury sedans and SRX luxury crossover.

The technology is designed to be unique for each consumer ? from the "simple user" to the fully connected "super user," per Mr. Butler.

According to the executive, while most of today?s luxury vehicles have around 20 buttons controlling the radio and entertainment functions, CUE reduces it to four buttons.

Although the technology does not replace a consumer?s smartphone, it lets them store their mobile devices while channeling the information on those devices, along with navigation tools, weather maps, AM/FM and XM radio, instant messages and email.

?CUE doesn?t replace your devices, but channels them for all of that capability,? Mr. Butler said.

Key features
CUE features several features including proximity sensing.

CUE is an 8-inch LCD touch screen, that is integrated into the top of the central instrument panel.

According to Mr. Butler, the CUE homepage resembles a smartphone?s screen ? with large, target icons used to execute commands.

As a user?s hand approaches the LCD screen, command icons appear.

The technology also includes multi-touch hand gestures, which feature interactive motions such as tap, flick, swipe and spread ? similar to motions consumers use on their mobile device, per Mr. Butler.

?CUE is also uniquely rich in content,? Mr. Butler said.  ?It will index all of the content of all the media that you partner with it.

?That means that whatever content you have on whatever devices, all of those material become available to you through CUE,? he said. ?It?s accessible for you without your hands ever having to leave the wheel or your eyes ever having to leave the road.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York