Speed and style still count. But in tomorrow’s cars, so do video screens, cell phone connections, portable music players, computers and even live TV.
Catering to iPod and laptop-toting consumers who are starting to demand entertainment and connectivity on the go, car makers and suppliers are gearing up for what could be a watershed year for high tech on the highway.
“Business is phenomenal,” said Kas Alves, sales manager for Scosche Industries, a California wholesaler of kits that wirelessly connect portable music players and cell phones to car audio systems. Scosche saw sales grow 23 percent last year and is predicting a 50 percent increase this year, Alves said.
Here are some of the newest offerings from automakers and after-market suppliers who are turning cars into virtual living rooms on wheels.
Driving information
In a recent online survey of more than 2,000 consumers by Jupiter Research, only 20 percent of respondents said they’d be interested in getting personal driving information such as traffic and weather conditions automatically in their cars. Less than 10 percent said they’d be interested in ability to check their office e-mail or voice mail, or find services like restaurants or ATMs while on the road. Respondents said they were most interested in navigation and safety-related telematics like General Motors Corp.’s OnStar network. But less than 50 percent expressed interest in even that. [COX NEWS SERVICE].
Video
– At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month, Panasonic showed off a dual-drive player with an 8-inch screen that will simultaneously let one back-seat passenger listen to a CD while another watches a movie.
– Freescale Semiconductor, a supplier of computer chips for the automotive market, debuted technology that wirelessly sends two video streams to multiple in-car screens.
– KVH Industries Inc. showed off a $2,500 portable satellite dish that can fit in the back of a mini-van or SUV, letting motorists receive more than 100 channels of TV and connect to the Internet as they zoom down the highway.
Audio
– High-priced cable connections or scratchy FM converters are yesterday’s solutions to connecting portable media players to your car’s audio system. Scosche industries now sells Bluetooth wireless kits for about $180 ($230 for a kit that connects your cell phone too), or stereo systems that come with USB connections.
– At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this month, Chrysler announced it would offer an optional $175 factory-installed iPod connection in all its vehicles beginning this year. Other carmakers are planning similar offerings.
Gaming
– Nissan’s over-the-top URGE concept car comes with a built-in Xbox 360 game console. Users can play it with a controller integrated with the car’s steering wheel and the gas and brake pedals–but only when the transmission is in park.
– Visteon Corp. unveiled at CES “dockable entertainment stations” that let users connect their GameBoys to car DVD players.
Computing
– This year Ford will begin selling its General Contractor pickup that comes with an on-board computer complete with wireless broadband connectivity, printer, digital camera and Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation software.
– For other cars, Ituner Networks Corp. sells its Mini-Box PCs, which fit under a car seat or in a trunk for on-board computing and connecting to the Internet. Bare-bones models sell for about $300.
GPS
– Judging from forthcoming offerings, some GPS systems will be simple cell phone programs or dashboard devices, while others will give detailed, turn-by-turn directions and even show pictures of nearby buildings. Google Inc., for instance, is experimenting with a GPS system that would include satellite images from its Google Earth database and search functions to let you quickly find addresses of businesses or friends.
