PCMag Digital Network
Seen a hot gadget?  Tell Us   
Contact Us  
Sites We Like
Gearlog on Twitter
Gearlog for Kindle
GoodCleanTech Recycling Superguide
Categories:  

chrysler_logo1.jpg

Are you ready for Intenet in your car? I'm not talking about parking in a strange neighborhood and stealing borrowing someone's WiFi signal (not that I'd know from personal experience). I mean a real hot spot in your vehicle. It's snuck in quietly under my radar, but Chrysler is already making it happen with "uconnect," yet another proper noun product name that, unfortunately, begins with a lower case letter! Oh, the humanity.

"uconnect web lets you turn your vehicle into a WiFi hotspot, allowing you to connect your laptops, iPhones, PSPs and PDAs. With this authentic Chrysler accessory from Mopar® installed at your dealer, each passenger can simultaneously surf the Web, check their e-mail, instant message, download music / photos and play online games, so you'll never be out of the loop again."


I suppose this is great because I'm not already spooked enough by people texting while they drive. Why not just add some vehicular Twitter so I can stay in a tizzy as distracted drivers flutter down the road at me! I'm sure there is, or will be, a law to make me safe... which will be followed as much as those that says everyone on a cellphone must use a handsfree device.

The NY Times reports this 600Kbps-800Kbps (aka--slower-than-broadband) service will cost around $500 for dealer installation then $29 per month for 1 Gb of data per month. It's all done with 2.5G and 3G networks through Autonet, "the first Internet Service Provider designed exclusively for cars." An in car WiFi hotspot should cover a 100 foot radius.

I suppose this is a good thing, but it's not where I see the real strength of Internet to the car. The real potential is making your car a smart device with the ability to maneuver around traffic while monitoring engine, safety and structural components. Throw in Internet radio to replace terrestrial and satellite stations and you've got quite a service.

Oh--and get rid of the 1 Gb ceiling. I want to run BitTorrent from the car.

Mixx It Mixx It Digg It Digg It StumbleUpon Toolbar Stumble Share More...

Content Recommendations from Evri
* = required
    Remember Me?
  
Please keep your comments on topic. Intelligent, thoughtful comments and questions are appreciated. Comments that contain personal attacks or profanity may be edited or removed. Comments containing personal information such as phone numbers, credit card numbers, or addresses may be edited or removed. Comments with advertisements will be removed.


 
Info Centers
Special Offers
         
 
  Ziff Davis Home | Contact Us | Advertise | Link to Us | Newsletters | RSS Feeds | Ziff Davis Media International
Digital Edition Customer Service | Subscribe to PCMag Digital Edition | Reprints
AppScout | Cranky Geeks | DigitalLife | DL.TV | ExtremeTech | GearLog | GoodCleanTech | PC Magazine | PCMagCasts | Security Watch | Smart Device Central | TechSaver
AppScout Mobile | Gearlog Mobile | GoodCleanTech Mobile | PCMag.com Mobile
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Linking Policy | Contact Us
Copyright © 1996-2009 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. PC Magazine, the PCMag.com logo and Gearlog are registered trademarks of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Media Inc. is prohibited.