telematics

Between May 6 and June 16, OnStar's aftermarket telematics system, the OnStar FMV, is getting a lot cheaper with a price drop to just $99, which includes installation at participating consumer electronics retail outlets, including Best Buy.

When I took a look at the OnStar FMV last year, one of the only drawbacks that I could find was that the "price, installation, and subscription fees create a high cost of entry." At an MSRP of $299 with a subscription fee of $199 to $299 per year, adding an OnStar mirror to your car was no mere impulse … Read more

They said it, not me.

"Some colleagues still think that car-sharing borders on communism," Mercedes-Benz Chairman of the Board of Management Dieter Zetsche said onstage at CES today, speaking about Mercedes' new CarTogether initiative. "But if that's the case, viva la revolucion!"

To be sure, a luxury-car maker like Mercedes is not actually promoting communism. But during his CES talk, Zetsche pushed hard on a vision that the company has for a greener future that allows drivers to reduce emissions by using connected and social technology to easily find compatible passengers to share rides with. … Read more

"Viva la revolucion!"

Mercedes-Benz may not seem like the kind of company that would promote the social use of its vehicles, but at CES today, it was doing just that.

During the company's CES press conference, Daimler's chairman of the board of management, Dieter Zetsche, laid out a vision for car sharing that may be intimately tied to Mercedes cars in the future.

That's because future Mercedes cars will have a telematics app called CarTogether that can help drivers find people with whom to share rides. This is not quite the same thing, of course, … Read more

If you think a car is high tech because it has Bluetooth and an iPod connection, you're in for a big surprise.

Yes, a "high-tech car" used to mean an iPod connection, hands-free calling, and GPS navigation. Now, that's almost quaint. Cars are getting connected like every other device in your life: wirelessly to the Internet. Navigation, communication, entertainment, and telematics all get better, but there will be some bumps along the road.

In this episode of Device & Conquer, we'll show you a sampling of how connected cars work and get you ready to … Read more

Audi's may be some of the most connected cars and have one of the slickest infotainment platforms on the market, but it doesn't offer the telematics capabilities that you can find in a defunct Pontiac Aztek.

Parent company Volkswagen is remedying that shortcoming, and will partner with Hughes Telematics to bring telematics services to its family of vehicles starting in 2013.

Hughes will provide safety, diagnostics, and convenience services, such as navigation and accident response, for Volkswagen. The telematics company powers Mercedes Benz's MBrace technology, which provides similar capabilities to GM's OnStar service.

Like OnStar's … Read more

Hughes Telematics is casting a wider net to catch customers, partnering with AAA Club Partners (ACP) to offer its In-Drive-connected services to the automobile club's 12 million drivers in 20 states.

In-Drive is a telematics service connecting the vehicle and driver to Hughes operators in the event of an emergency or accident. Devices plugged into the vehicle's On-Board Diagnostics port and mounted on the visor connect the driver and the vehicle to Hughes' team of operators, who are available to help drivers coordinate emergency response and detect when a vehicle has been in a crash.

AAA hasn't … Read more

Nissan has just launched a pair of apps for the Android and BlackBerry platforms that put control and information about the automaker's electric Leaf at owners' fingertips.

The app connects to the vehicle via the CarWings system that is present in all Nissan Leafs (Leaves? Leafii?) and features a tabbed interface that is broken into six major sections. The Home tab is where you can view your Leaf's current battery level, whether the car is plugged in or not, and how long a quick, normal, or trickle charge will take. The Home screen also displays a graph with … Read more

When you get into a car accident, State Farm will be there. Or at least, one of its partners' emergency operators will be. The insurance company announced a new program to provide emergency response, vehicle reporting, and geofencing services. Drivers can use the service to report accidents, locate stolen vehicles, and potentially get discounts on their auto insurance policies.

In-Drive is a new service being introduced to State Farm customers in Illinois. Hughes Telematics developed the technology and will supply subscribers with a device that plugs into the vehicle's On-Board Diagnostics port. Customers connect with operators at the touch … Read more

The convenience offered by mobile apps for unlocking car doors and remotely starting their engines is also a weakness, as two hackers will demonstrate at the upcoming Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. Researchers Don Bailey and Mathew Solnik managed to use a laptop to hack the mobile app connection in two different car brands.

The researchers discovered that, when a user pushed the unlock or remote engine start buttons on the app, the phone sends a signal to a service center, which then sends a signal to the car telling it what to do. The researchers intercepted and duplicated … Read more