Connecting your phones in the car is a growing interest for consumers, as doing so gives the ability to use Maps, Music and other apps from a compatible device built in to the vehicle while driving. Android Auto might be the platform that people are paying the most attention to, but we shouldn’t forget about MirrorLink, which is a similar type of standard and platform set up for the very same things at the basic core, which is to provide an in-car connected experience allowing for the use of certain smartphone related or connected functions in the vehicle. If you’re a Sony Xperia Z3 or Xperia Z3 Compact owner, then Mirror Link is something that apparently works for you right out of the box.
The Car Connectivity Consortium(CCC)has announced that both those devices from Sony support the connection and work right away. So as soon as you power on your Xperia Z3 or Xperia Z3 Compact, you can immediately hook it up in the car through MirrorLink if you have a compatible vehicle. Sony’s devices aren’t the only handsets that support MirrorLink but it’s nice to see Sony hopping on board with this. As the desire to connect devices into the car with platforms like Android Auto grows, so too will the popularity of technology like MirrorLink. Alan Ewing, President and Executive Director of the CCC states that “MirrorLink’s presence in Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact demonstrates just how prolific the MirrorLink global ecosystem has become, Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact’s focus on versatility and high performance make them a perfect showcase for MirrorLink’s ability to bring the power of the information age to drivers in a way that increases safety and enjoyment on today’s roads.”
Currently MirrorLink is the industry standard, which isn’t too surprising as it’s already out there in the wild and available in some vehicles, while other platforms like Android Auto haven’t quite hit the showroom floor yet. If you own an Xperia Z3 or an Xperia Z3 Compact and have a car with MirrorLink built in, check out the functionality and let us know how things work. Something else you might not have known about the Xperia Z3, is that it also has an out-of-the-box feature to record your screen without root access. This is a function that will be baked into Lollipop with an API so developers can take advantage of it and allow non-rooted users to screencast with their apps, but if you’re a Z3 owner it just so happens to be there as a standard feature on Kit Kat, something that is generally only available through root-only apps.