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The annual NORAD Santa Tracker will not be tracking 'Santacon' events like this one last year in San Francisco, unfortunately.
(Credit: Flickr user Steve Rhodes (licensed under Creative Commons))The North American Aerospace Defense Command isn't messing around this year.
Each year since 1955, the military agency--a joint U.S. and Canada operation--has been providing data on Santa Claus' annual trek around the world for kids (and non-kids, I guess) who really, really, really want to know when those coveted electric hamsters or whatever the big material sensation of the year will be getting shoved under their Christmas trees.
For 2009, the NORAD Santa Web site will also have offshoots on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google Earth, and Flickr. A partnership with navigation company OnStar also means that subscribers will be able to get live Santa updates on their in-car GPS system.
The whole process doesn't actually start until December 24, so you can't run out to your car just yet and start stalking him. It also, regrettably, doesn't have any clever tie-ins with various global "Santacon" or "Santarchy" events, in which loads of drunk people dressed up as Santa Claus run amok in entire cities. Hey, maybe next year (or not).
No word yet on whether NORAD will share any GPS data with Santa so that he can put you on the "naughty" list if you get pulled over for speeding.
It may look like yet another boring SUV, but the GMC Terrain brings the SUV, and GM itself, into this millennium. A direct injection 3-liter V-6 offers plenty of power, an option over the standard direct injection four-cylinder. The interior looks particularly nice, especially considering a base price in the mid-20s. And we were most impressed with GM's new navigation system, a hard-drive-based unit with traffic detouring. The Terrain could change your mind about GM.
According to some studies, about a quarter of U.S. motorists send text messages while driving. So why not make it safer?
That's the idea behind an upcoming service from telematics service provider ATX Group. ATX plans to introduce hands-free text messaging by voice.
According to ATX, of Dallas, its system, which uses existing speech-recognition technology, will allow people to dictate customized messages with minimal driver distraction.
Other in-vehicle communications systems read text messages aloud to drivers. And some, such as Ford's Sync, allow drivers to send texts--though only from a menu of scripted messages.
Don't look for telematics leader OnStar to jump on the bandwagon. "Our focus remains firmly on safety and security and in-vehicle communications, " says spokesman Jim Kobus.
ATX provides technology for Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Peugeot, Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce.
(Source: Automotive News)
OnStar's suite of Stolen Vehicle Assistance services currently includes GPS technology that pinpoints a stolen vehicle's exact location, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, which can remotely slow a stolen vehicle to idle speed. Today, OnStar announces Remote Ignition Block, a new tool that will help law enforcement to safely and quickly recover stolen vehicles.
Remote Ignition Block lets an OnStar adviser send a remote signal to a subscriber's stolen vehicle to prevent the vehicle from being restarted once the ignition is turned off. By killing the ignition, OnStar can make sure that the stolen vehicle remains stationary so police can recover it without the need for a dangerous high-speed chase.
The process works like this: First, the OnStar subscriber reports his or her vehicle as stolen to the police and requests stolen vehicle assistance from OnStar. The police confirm to the OnStar adviser that the vehicle is in fact stolen, most likely using a police report number.
Next, the OnStar adviser locates the vehicle using its onboard GPS antenna and sends the Remote Ignition Block to the vehicle. The next time the vehicle is stopped, it will be unable to restart, and the authorities can then pick it up.
OnStar will make Remote Ignition Block available on select GM 2009 and 2010 model year vehicles in the U.S. and Canada.
Editors' note: The title of this blog post initially misstated the name of Microsoft Virtual Earth.
Before: This sample map is what OnStar advisors used to use to assist drivers and first responders.
(Credit: OnStar)When OnStar advisers get an accident response call, they now have another tool at their fingertips to use. The GM subsidiary recently integrated Microsoft Virtual Earth into their response system and are using the 3D features to guide first responders with more accuracy to hard-to-find or rural locations.
"Microsoft is helping automakers, suppliers and customers focus on long-term innovation to reshape the plant floor, in-car and dealership experience," said David Graff, U.S. automotive industry solutions director, Microsoft Corp. in a press release.
"Collaborating with OnStar to support emergency services is a great example of this innovation, empowering advisors with features like Virtual Earth's Bird's Eye view imagery to help them quickly locate subscribers, even in adverse weather and conditions. This service not only continues to provide differentiation inside the vehicle, but also more importantly helps save lives," he said.
Integration with Microsoft Virtual Earth helps After: Integration with Microsoft Virtual Earth offers 3D images and helps OnStar advisers better assist drivers.
(Credit: OnStar)OnStar advisers have had the technology available to them for a couple of weeks, and they've found that its also been useful in giving directions, says OnStar spokesperson Cristi Vazquez.
"For really hard to find addresses, when people are close we can tell them, it looks like you're two buildings away," she says.
OnStar is available on more than 50 MY 2009 GM models.
(Credit:
CNET)
Most Twitter addicts have been guilty of stoplight tweeting (an epic race against the clock to squeeze in 140 characters before the light turns green), but if recent rumors are true, General Motors is going to make TWD (Twittering While Driving) much safer if they integrate the Twitter microblogging service into OnStar.
The rumor originates with a blogger at Gear Live. While filling out an OnStar survey, he noticed this tidbit:
"While in your vehicle, you can use OnStar to submit and retrieve tweets (messages) via your Twitter account. Using OnStar's Voice-Activated Hands-Free Calling system, and having your voice converted into text, you can provide updates which would appear in the "What are you doing?" section of your Twitter homepage. It is also possible to listen to a tweet that was sent to you by someone else after it has been converted into voice. You can send and receive tweets without having to type or read anything."
Without the context of the rest of the survey, this could just be GM testing the waters for a pie-in-the-sky service. However, the speech-to-text and text-to-speech technology does exist, as does the in-vehicle connectivity.
The hypothetical addition of Twitter may not be the sort of killer app that would save GM, but any boost to the ailing automaker's cabin tech suite certainly couldn't be harmful.
(Credit:
James Martin/CBS Interactive)
With stunning power and handling, the CTS-V gives the already excellent Cadillac CTS a huge performance edge. First-class interior and cutting-edge cabin tech make it a comfortable cruiser, but get it on a track where you can really have some fun. BMW M3s and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG's better watch out if they see a CTS-V coming up behind them.
NEW ORLEANS -- General Motors is talking with several automakers about putting GM's OnStar telematics service in their vehicles, says OnStar's top executive.
"We did make a decision late last year that we are now talking to other vehicle manufacturers about the potential of bringing OnStar services to their vehicles either in the United States and Canada or other parts of the world," OnStar President Chet Huber told Automotive News here during the NADA convention.
Huber declined to identify the automakers.
In the past, OnStar had deals with Acura, Volkswagen, Audi, Subaru and Isuzu and a private-label deal with Lexus. Huber said that for a number of reasons, "We both decided -- OnStar-GM and the other manufacturers" -- to part ways.
Part of that had to do with the switch from analog to digital, which the other manufacturers were not ready to do, he said.
Because auto sales are down, OnStar added fewer subscribers than planned in 2008. But Huber said OnStar is adding subscribers who buy used GM vehicles. He said about 20 percent of people buying used GM vehicles are subscribing to OnStar.
"And that's without a whole lot of marketing," he added. "It's a new range of customers for us and a new opportunity for dealers to participate."
OnStar, which now has about 6 million subscribers, provides navigation assistance, accident notification, road-side assistance and vehicle diagnostics.
OnStar doesn't release financial figures, but Huber said it is profitable: "Our profitability has been improving year over year for a while."
(Source: Automotive News)
(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)
We didn't expect a tuner car from Chevy, but the Cobalt SS measure up in all ways. Two-liter four cylinder engine, check. Variable valve timing, check. Turbocharger, bonus. With 260 horsepower, the Cobalt SS has more power than a Honda Civic Si, and the Cobalt SS' limited slip differential, stabilizer bars, and suspension tuning lead to good handling in the corners. Put it in launch-control mode and you can achieve maximum grip and acceleration off the line. Chevy also steps up a bit in cabin tech, giving the Cobalt SS iPod integration and a bass-heavy Pioneer audio system.
What should a modern car have? There are the obvious things, such as fuel economy, practical interior space, and drivability, but what about great cabin tech? We'll tell you the three most important amenities to look for by the dashboard.
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