The big car audio companies chose to sit this round out. Fortunately, there was still a lot of cool tech at the 2009 SEMA Show.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)With the absence of the major car audio OEMs at the 2009 SEMA Show, it would be easy to assume that car tech has taken a backseat to tuning and muscle. However, the more compact electronics section allowed smaller companies with truly innovative products to shine. We found ourselves spending more time learning about cool products like the PowerSafe jumper cable, instead of rushing from booth to booth looking at amplifier after amplifier.
For example, On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II) interfaces were a major part of the tech scene at SEMA. From add-on modules for your GPS device to standalone OBD-II devices to Wi-Fi dongles that transform your iPhone into a handheld diagnostics station, there were dozens of different devices that allowed users to listen in on what their vehicle used to only share with a mechanic. These devices allow tuners to search for more power, greenies to eke more miles out of a gallon, and regular consumers to feel more confident when they take their cars in for maintenance.
Other cool technologies that picked up awards were rearview camera interfaces, off-road iPod cradles, and a funny little device that actually makes all of those cupholders useful.
Check out our gallery of award-winning new products at the 2009 SEMA Show for more details and pics.
This Cadillac CTS is a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot.
(Credit: CNET)We were recently handed the keys to a Cadillac CTS equipped with an Autonet in-car wireless access point. The system joins a cellular data connection with a Wi-Fi access point to offer Internet access on the go.
We figured, what better way to test this system than with a liveblog from the road?
The Autonet router mounts in the vehicle's trunk and takes up very little space.
(Credit: CNET)After starting the vehicle, we were able to quickly connect our laptop (as well as an iPod Touch) to the Autonet access point in exactly the same way that we would for a stationary access point.
After confirming that we were in fact connected to the Internet, we attempted a few unofficial speed tests. We logged onto YouTube and (using the timer on our iPod Touch) checked to see how quickly we were able to load and play one of the Antuan's favorite videos. From the time we clicked the link to the time the video began to play, nearly 3 minutes had elapsed. Even then, the video stuttered with constant buffering. By the time the one-minute video had completed, nearly 5 minutes had passed. For comparison, the same video loaded in about 25 seconds on an iPhone 3G using the 3G wireless connection.
Our speed test concluded, we hit the road with Editor Wayne Cunningham behind the wheel and Associate Editor Antuan Goodwin at the keyboard, liveblogging. We tested a few less data-intensive sites. Google Maps, for example, was relatively quick to display our search results, but lagged in displaying the actual map imagery and live traffic updates. Our own CNET Car Tech page also loaded quickly, but again, videos were painfully slow to play.
It's very hard to type with the keyboard bouncing around in your lap.
(Credit: CNET)Eventually, we found ourselves at a great little burrito place, and Wayne ran in to grab lunch. Meanwhile, Antuan was busy uploading the pictures that we'd snapped along the way. The photos averaged about 200kb each and uploaded in about 2-5 seconds apiece, which is definitely tolerable.
Because the system is completely hidden, there's no way of knowing how strong your cellular signal is, so you won't know if you're in a dead spot until you lose your signal. This is a minor inconvenience, which we are inclined to forgive.
The Autonet in-car access point retails for $499 (plus installation) with a $29-per-month subscription to keep the bits and bytes flowing.
Cadillac offers wireless Internet in the CTS, sporty hybrids on the way from Honda and Toyota, gadgets that do a virtual repo when you miss a payment, and a very slick little car PC.
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SHOW NOTES
• Cadillac rolls out in-car Internet access
• New way to make scratch healing paint
• Stealth PC great for the car
Cadillac has announced the availability of an in-car wireless Internet option on its CTS sport sedan beginning in April. The new option will be called Cadillac WiFi (sic) by Autonet and be dealer-installed. The device itself will have an MSRP of $499, and the service will cost $29 per month.
This makes Cadillac one of the very first carmakers to offer wireless Internet in a production vehicle. Autonet Mobile says early market experience indicates that this option will appeal to families first, as opposed to the mobile business professional you probably think would be its main initial market.
We've seen this Autonet device before (though the latest model is smaller, dockable, and sports an internal Wi-Fi antenna) and a company called Waav offers a similar rig, but what's interesting about the Cadillac-Autonet deal is that a top-tier carmaker is putting its imprimatur on general-purpose in-car Internet connectivity.
Connect a few dots, and you soon arrive at a future in which almost every service in a car--entertainment, navigation, communication--is cloud-based, and not dependent on computation or data that are captive in the vehicle.
BMW has shown us something like that, Mercedes is pursuing the idea with its MyCommand prototype, and Blaupunkt is about to roll out the first Internet-streaming car stereos.
Of course, the big competitive threat is that we all just decide to get in the car with more and more iPhones and Netbooks with integrated 3G (and later 4G) wireless connections, and skip mobile routers altogether. Companies in the emerging in-car Internet space will soon need to bring more to the party than just Wi-Fi and some 3G network massaging; they'll need to bundle and optimize services for in-car use, as well as develop car-specific interfaces, and deliver both in a way that speaks to two major use cases: driver and passenger.
That said, it's heartening to see an Internet option make its way to the showrooms of a global auto brand. It helps deliver on the sometimes breathlessly hyped promise of life in the cloud.
Add GPS functionality to Wi-Fi devices with G-Fi
The G-Fi GPS router is about the size of an iPhone.
(Credit: PosiMotion)It's the last day of CES, and I ran into an unusual networking device called G-Fi from PosiMotion. It's the first router I've known that doesn't have the ability to share access to the Internet. Instead, it receives the satellite signals and shares the GPS information to any Wi-Fi-enabled device.
According to PosiMotion, ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
Chrysler is turning cars and trucks into wireless hot spots.
The company announced Thursday a new feature that will let people purchase a "Uconnect" in-car wireless system as part of a dealer upgrade in 20 various 2009 Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep models.
The system offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity within the car to allow people to sync their cell phone address books with the car's 30GB hard drive or control their Apple iPods using the radio and steering wheel controls. And it provides navigation and real-time traffic features that can be controlled by voice recognition or a touch screen.
Using a cell phone network, the Wi-Fi hot spot can also be connected to the Internet, allowing passengers using laptops to surf the Web. My guess is that other Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as the iPhone and iPod Touch will also be able to use the in-car Wi-Fi to connect to the Net.
Chrysler didn't mention which cell phone network will be used to provide the Internet access. And it didn't list prices for the service, which will likely charge a monthly fee, according to an Associated Press article.
But pricing could be comparable to what is charged for the OnStar navigation and emergency roadside service. That costs between $17 and $70 per month. Or it could be priced similarly to satellite radio, which costs just under $13 per month.
Using Wi-Fi as the Internet access technology inside the car is a good idea, since almost every consumer electronic device these days has a Wi-Fi chip embedded. Wi-Fi is also shipped as a standard feature in most, if not, all laptops today. By contrast, the market for pre-installed 3G wireless in laptops has been relatively small.
I saw a similar in-car wireless system work with WiMax as part of an Intel/Motorola sponsored demonstration at CTIA in Las Vegas earlier this year. The purpose of the demo was to show how well WiMax works, but it used Wi-Fi inside the car to connect laptops and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the Net using WiMax.
I have to admit, turning the car into a hot spot was pretty cool. I was able to access Web sites and listen to the Web rebroadcast of National Public Radio's "Morning Edition." It was also easy to access Google Maps on the Web for navigation. And in this particular demo they showed how video could be streamed to watch movies on demand. Of course, Chrysler's system uses the 3G cell network instead of a high-speed WiMax network, so streaming audio and video won't likely work well. But it's still a very cool feature.
That said, I think price will be a major factor in whether the new feature and service are a success. As gas surpasses $4 a gallon in much of the country and the economy hits the skids, car sales are already in a slump. And if current trends continue, consumers will likely be more interested in getting better gas mileage than a potentially pricey in-car Wi-Fi system with Internet service that charges a monthly fee.
Archos GPS In-car Holder
(Credit: Archos)The Archos 605 WiFi PVP already does a lot of things. It's an MP3 player, a video player, a photo viewer, a PDF viewer, and a Web portal. Now, it can be your personal navigator. Today, Archos announced the GPS In-Car Holder, an add-on accessory that brings the features of a portable navigation system to the PVP. The GPS receiver is built into the car mount, so you can simply slide your 605 WiFi into the cradle and connect it to your windshield and car stereo (via line-out) to get real-time tracking and voice-guided turn-by-turn directions. Maps of North America are provided by TeleAtlas (a European and a Chinese version will also be available) and will include a points of interest database as well as traffic and lane assistance.
The Archos GPS In-Car Holder will work with all models of the 605 Wi-Fi and has an expected shipping date of sometime in May. Pricing starts at $129.99 or you can get a bundle package (30GB Archos 605 WiFi + GPS In-Car Holder) for $399.99.
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