The software giant worked with West Coast Customs to create a rolling showcase for its technology, baking in features from Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox, among other products.
Jay Greene
Jay Greene, a CNET senior writer, works from Seattle and focuses on investigations and analysis. He's a former Seattle bureau chief for BusinessWeek and author of the book "Design Is How It Works: How the Smartest Companies Turn Products into Icons" (Penguin/Portfolio).
West Coast Customs and Microsoft created Project Detroit to inspire developers to build apps for cars. This ride includes technology from Microsoft's Kinect, Xbox, Windows, and Windows Phone, among others.
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Built in touch-screen displays
The Project Detroit car has a touch-screen display that drivers can swipe to toggle between different dashboard skins. The slate in front of the passenger seat can surf the Web -- and can also send messages for display on the car's rear windshield.
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Remote control doors, engine
The Project Detroit car can be remotely located, unlocked, and started using the Viper SmartStart app for Windows Phone.
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Kinect in the taillights
The Project Detroit car includes cameras using Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing controller on the front and rear of the vehicle. Those cameras can transmit a live video feed of pedestrians and objects to the interior dashboard displays. Even cooler, when the car is parked, the rear windshield can turn into a projector screen for playing movies or video games.
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Xbox in the dash
The devices in the Project Detroit car are Web connected, so passengers can use the touch-screen display to check the weather, find nearby businesses, or play Xbox Live against friends.
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"Step away from the car" -- from afar
Web connectivity lets users stream video and audio from cameras and microphones in the car to Windows Phones. That way, users can tell when anyone gets near the car -- from anywhere in the world. And they can turn their phones into microphones, using the car's external PA system to ask lookie loos to step away.
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It doubles as a TV screen
When the Project Detroit car is parked, its rear windshield can flip up, turning into a screen for watching movies or playing Xbox games.
