WiFi Hotspots are Coming to Cars

This year, our cars will be constantly connected to the internet.  It’s going to be HUGE.

By 2021, the auto industry will have have the highest revenue that’s connectivity-related.

It arrived last year via Audi, and Chevy is a front-runner, with 10 of their models to be offered with 4G and LTE connections by this 2014 summer.

Read it online at Autonet.ca

Favourite line:

It will be interesting to see how the data will be priced, because using the rule of thumb that at YouTube video is 1MB per minute, we’d all be driving down the road just hemorrhaging money. 

Remember my column about War Driving? I wonder how this will affect things like that. I also wonder about the security aspect of an always-connected car.  Remember, you are responsible for hotspot users. 

***

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

A Clever Infotainment System

GM just released a new infotainment system, introducing MyLink.

Usually I’m like “infotainment systems, who cares”, but this one is different.

Instead of installing a computer into the car, the car uses the computer we all carry around constantly – cel phone.  Right?!  

The core of the computing is done on your phone. Basically you’re looking at here a screen and a USB connection.  That greatly reduces the amount of electronics in the car, plus price.  An average infotainment system is about $1,500, instead, GM’s BringGo map app is $50.

The key is the software that make your car talk to your phone.

Another neat fact, GM worked with Apple on this software; when was the last time you heard about Apple collaborating.  Change your calendar, text, music, all using Apple’s Siri.

The app is available for both iPhone and Android.

Bottom left: that’s a radio station from the other side of the world.

I interviewed the person who headed the project, meet Sarah LeBlanc.

She was a such a fun interview, we met early morning at the Toronto Auto Show. Thanks for kicking my day off to a great start, Sarah!

Read it on Autonet.ca.

 

I’m Mobile Again

Thanks for the wheels, Chevrolet!

It’s their just-released Sonic – their hyrid car. Which has much more pep and pickup than you’d expect.

And Chevy knows me well, they gave me a manual car YA buddy, it’s great to be shifting again and making the engine rawwwwar out of the corners.

Here’s the interior.

Nice and simple, not too many bells and whistles, which I don’t like and think are superfluous.

If I were to buy a new car I’ll be saying no thanks to things like backing-up cameras and GPS. I can back up just fine with my eyes, and I don’t wish to be tracked.

I was at Chevrolet’s event in Dundas Square last week, they launched three new cars day… the Sonic, Orlando and their electric car, the Volt.

It was also a big day in internet history too, they streamed live all day to the homepage of YouTube, and for a minute I was on it, neat eh! Casie and I were interviewed about driving the the Volt. Unfortunately neither of us have footage of it, lesigh.