Info super highway on the highway

By: Drivers.com staff

Date: Sunday, 31. October 2010

In what's been called "an early example of dealer-installed wireless," General Motors luxury division has announced that it is offering internet connectivity on its Cadillac CTS model as of April this year.

A wireless router will be fitted into the trunk of the CTS and hard-wired to power up when the driver starts the engine. It connects to the internet through WiFi signals delivered through the cellular mobile phone network. "It's just like going to a Wi-Fi hotspot," says PR manager Christine Williams of Autonet, which designed the Cadillac system.

However, the system is not built in but rather a customizable after-market device. Cadillac says it deliberately did not bundle the system as part a branded entertainment service so that it would maintain its marketing flexibility. However, the system is expensive, selling for about $500 with monthly connectivity fees starting at $29.

This flexibility sets the Cadillac system apart from Chrysler's UConnect or Fords Sync systems, which are built in and now being marketed as standard equipment on some models.

The ongoing debate over the advantages of built-in or 'embedded' wireless connectivity versus the 'bring in' kind such as laptops and mobile phones takes a new twist with Smartphones such as the Blackberry and Apple's iPhone.

The iPhone, with its slick web browsing capability, has the advantage that it goes into the car with you and stays with you when you get out.

For more powerful connectivity (for example, Google Earth, online map and local information services your wireless data-enabled mobile phone can be linked to a laptop via infra-red, Bluetooth or USB connections.

The critical difference here may be the cost of wireless data and voice connectivity services.

However, there�s another, very ominous cloud on the mobile connectivity horizon � the issue of driver distraction and safety.

Safety organizations are increasingly concerned with the distraction potential of in-car wireless information services such as navigation systems, entertainment systems and the internet.

Interactive information technologies such as texting, instant messaging, web browsing, and using navigation screens can be far more powerful engagers of attention than simple phone calls, operating radios, or passenger conversations.

That's a major worry to the developers and manufacturers of mobile connectivity equipment and the service providers that enable the world of the connected driver.

It may be the issue that dominates automobile design and marketing over the coming decade.