'Every new car' connected to web by 2014

[dipsydoodle]

Five years ago mobile phones were at the forefront of technology, by 2010 the focus was on tablet computers and now billions of yen, dollars and pounds are being invested in what is seen as the next digital playground - the car.

Using a hand-held mobile phone while driving a car has been illegal in the UK since 2003.

But 10 years later, car manufacturers are hoping that the technology regularly found on smartphones could change the way we use our cars.

What this means is app-culture infiltrating the dashboard - from a parking space finder to a way to get coupons for local restaurants, or directions that can pop up on the windscreen.

It all relies on the car being connected to the internet, allowing all this information to arrive without too much searching or button pushing and a lot more focus on voice commands.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21411335

[customerserviceguy]

1. I've got one of those cars

Just bought a Sonata Hybrid about a month and a half ago, and I'm still on the trial period for the telematics. The navigation system is no better (in fact, considerably worse) than my Garmin, and the latter has no monthly fees. A lot of this new tech is nothing other than a way to keep getting into your wallet month after month.

I guess I'm glad that the Bluetooth for the cell phone doesn't have a monthly charge, and it works quite well so far.

[longship]

2. A lot of good such a thing will do me here.

Manistee National Forest.

No broadband Inet.
No WiFi
No Cable TV

Just antenna based television and some cell service, the latter only very recently.

I'll keep my 17 year old Volvo four cylinder. Thank you anyway.

[leveymg]

3. A car that tries to sell me things, or reports my speed, will end up being fixed.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. This generation of smart cars is being designed to stop just that

Same with the event recorders. They are integral to the vehicle and cannot be disabled by design

[madrchsod]

5. everything can be hacked....

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. To a point.

Early event recorders could be removed. I have seen some were the +5 volt leg to the IC where the data is stored was cut. However, they are changing annually and the schematics are proprietary. If I had On Star or its equivalent on a car that I owned, I would explore disabling it as well. For that I would target the RF section, seeing how heavily it is integrated into the car. I also know where the event recorder is on my one vehicle that has it and can remove it rapidly in case of an accident.

[Occulus]

7. Do these smart cars use any implementation of UPnP?

Asked for obvious reasons.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Today they are mostly proprietary. Some use CANBUS. Nothing out there that I know with UPnP

[littlemissmartypants]

11. Hear. Hear. n/t

[Posteritatis]

8. I'm sure car owners will love getting monthly telco bills for received ads. (nt)

[dipsydoodle]

9. Things differ in Europe

I'm not quite sure how it function here. Could just link in with our mobiles.