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4G connections are starting to show up in cars from the factory.
It's a major new trend for 2014.
But what's the point?
I'm Brian Cooley with my top five reasons you will want built-in 4G in your next car.
This is a taste of the future of driving.
Number five, data gathering.
I put this last because, let's face it, it could range anywhere from car makers doing things that are kind of dumb, to massively inappropriate.
Or kind of like magic.
You see, the data from a built-in 4G connection will let your car throw off all kinds of information about it and how you use it.
That could make it far better to own and operate.
Or it could just be totally invasive.
Number four, better in-car hotspots.
I ranked this fairly low because I believe the need for a hotspot in your car is overblown at best, and bait to push you into an overage fee at worse.
Need a hotspot?
Pull over and get a cup of coffee.
But if you do have one powered by 4G, at least it'll work better.
Number three.
Over the air updates.
I love the idea of these.
Having your car's software updated once or twice a year.
Like when you get a new version of iOS or Android.
But what keeps it mid-pack at number three, is that we've never seen a car maker do this.
Other than Tesla, which has done already a long enough list of these to make up for the rest of the industry on its own.
As for the other car makers, will they offer a new OS a couple of times.
Or three times during car ownership?
Or just prefer to get you to buy a new car?
And if they do give you an update, what if it breaks?
Number two, connection speed.
Everything's better when faster, but even more so in a car, where having information and services resolved quickly on the screen is essential to the task of driving with minimal distraction, this is very important.
Whether it's connected Nav search, off-board voice recognition, or streaming media, I can't think of a place a fast connection could be more rewarding than in your car.
The number one reason that 4G is a must have in the near future is the persistent connection.
This is a big game changer folks, even if it sounds a little nebulous.
You see a built-in, always on connection in your car, will fundamentally change your expectations of the in-car experience.
Our online habits, services and preferences will finally follow us into the car, seamlessly, as opposed to the way it is now, where you kinda have to change gears, adapt to your car's media sources, your car's interface, it's navigation platform and it's utter ignorance of your life's context.
It's time for the car to really be another of our mobile devices, and have that not be just a car maker tagline.
And built-in 4G can get us there.
Hi-tech cars and modern driving, at cnetoncars.com.
I'm Brian Cooley, thanks for watching.
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