The same principal could be applied to your laptop.
If it were turned on in your car, it would link up to the car's
Bluetooth system and provide Internet access through your car's
navigation screen. Although several companies, including Mercedes-Benz,
have offered Internet access through non-Bluetooth subscription
services for a few years, consumer demand has been weak. It's unclear
if widespread availability of Bluetooth connectivity in cars will
make more buyers want such mobile Internet availability.
Though not yet available in the United States, the
next step in Bluetooth automotive technology could have cars speaking
to one another as they pass, exchanging information about traffic
conditions.
Using a dedicated cell phone built into the car,
concierge-service prices such as OnStar start at $199 a year and
go up, depending on how many services you want. As a lure, most
manufacturers provide at least three months' free service when
a vehicle is purchased.
For your entertainment
Also falling under the heading of telematics is a vehicle's entertainment
system, and for 2005 the choices have never been greater, ranging
from sound systems with AM-FM-CD and MP3 capability to DVD audio
and video systems.
What you may not find is a factory-installed system
to link up with your iPod. BMW was the only manufacturer to foresee
the exploding popularity of the iPod and work with Apple to develop
a car audio system that will play tunes off an iPod.
Most electronics shops such as Circuit City and
Best Buy can, of course, install equipment to make your iPod and
car best buds, but so far the auto makers have been slow to respond.
Out with the old
Of course new technology on cars means that some old technology
is on the way out.
If you have the collected works of Stephen King
on audio book cassettes, the bad news is that the cassette player
is on its last loop as a new car feature, replaced by the compact
disc, which itself may one day soon be replaced by MP3 and iPod
technology.
On the video side, backseat DVDs are so common that
there have been some complaints by other drivers about vehicles
playing X-rated movies on the freeway. Prices have come down to
the point where nearly every SUV and minivan has a video system
on the option list.
Next up? The satellite radio services will likely
work with manufacturers to provide video on demand to car-based
systems.
The explosion in electronic technology on cars has
gotten to the point where a car is no longer just a car. Check
off enough options and it can become your family room away from
home.
A word of caution to the savvy shopper: Buying the
newest technology comes with a hefty price. In a few years, as
the developmental costs are spread among more and more vehicles,
prices will come down.
If you trade cars every three years, it might be
advisable to wait on some of these new options. But if you keep
a car five years or longer, it's worth considering that when you
go to sell that 2005 car, truck, SUV or minivan in 2010, buyers
may expect it to have all these bells and whistles because they
will be the norm by then.
-- Posted: Feb. 15, 2005
