Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away barely a week ago, leaving us with a rich technological heritage. An excellent example of which is the all-new infotainment system introduced by Cadillac today.

Dubbed CUE for Cadillac User Experience, it allows the user to connect up to 10 devices via Bluetooth, including memory keys, SD cards, cell phones and MP3 players.

This type of technology is usually pretty complicated, but CUE aims to simplify the experience. It’s designed so that each user can customize it no matter his or her techno savvy.


CUE features customizable information displays, a natural voice recognition system, a limited number of controls and large, easily accessible icons. Currently, most luxury car dash boards hold about 20 buttons for the stereo and various entertainment features. With CUE, that number plummets to four.

At its heart is an 8-inch LCD touchscreen that conceals a 1.8-litre storage compartment similar to that of the Chevrolet Orlando, ideal for stashing small items.

The five most often used functions are displayed in the upper part of the screen. The user’s favourite navigation, weather, phone book and music apps appear on the bottom and can be reorganized and renamed.

CUE will include several industry firsts, such as:

• A proximity sensing screen that makes the elements reappear when it senses the user’s hand drawing near.
• A haptic feedback function where the buttons react when they’re pushed so drivers can keep their eyes on the road at all times.
• A multi-touch interface usually reserved for smartphones like the iPhone, which recognizes swipes, pinches and flicks.
• A Linux operating system mated to a three-core, ARM 11 processor up to 3.5 times more powerful than the infotainment software currently on the market.

CUE will be making its debut in the 2012 Cadillac XTS and ATS sedans as well as the SRX crossover and should be included in the rest of the lineup over time.