According to reports from early last week, Microsoft is joining Apple by developing its own vehicle dashboard system known as Windows in the Car. This new operating system will feature the company's apps, smartphone capabilities and content display on the dashboard of an individual's car. The company has not said, however, when this system will be available to the public.

This new technology was first demonstrated at Microsoft's Build Developers Conference in the first week of April. According to experts who have witnessed its use, the system is designed to use the same interface utilized by the company's Nokia Lumia handset and Windows 8.1 operating system.

Drivers who have the system downloaded into their cars will be able to access a multitude of the apps they have available on their smartphones. Customers will be able to use their same music libraries, maps, web search, phone calls and text messaging. Windows for the Car is being developed as a direct competitor to Apple's CarPlay and Google's Open Automotive Alliance.

To be successfully integrated into a vehicle, Windows for the Car will use MirrorLink, which establishes the connection between an automobile and smartphone technology. MirrorLink is a standard that is already in use by a number of popular car manufacturers, including General Motors, Honda, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz.

While executives from the company did not get into specifics as to how the system will be controlled by drivers, Steve Teixeira - a program director for Microsoft - indicated that it would likely respond to the sound of a person's voice.

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