By Jennifer Hooker, IEN Staff
June 27, 2008 —Remember when a car was a simple means of transportation to get from point A to point B? A leather interior and a nice paint job, isn’t enough to make your car drool-worthy anymore, as more vehicles are transforming into second living rooms. It is not uncommon for a car to come equipped with a TV and DVD player, but starting this August, Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge can add internet access to their list of amenities on their 2009 models.
Chrysler’s UConnect Web service will encompass a plethora of entertainment features including Web, GPS, television, music, and Bluetooth technology for hands-free phone calls.
Wi-Fi at 70mph
The Web service will be offered as an add-on from parts manufacturer, Mopar, and will consist of a wireless router and a cellular-based Web connection powered by Autonet Mobile, a vehicle internet service provider. USA Today quoted Chrysler’s Keefe Lueng as saying, “What UConnect Web does is turn the whole vehicle into an internet hot spot.”
The service will allow passengers (and hopefully not drivers) to surf the Web on their laptops, iPhones, smartphones, Sony PSPs, and other Wi-Fi enabled devices at speeds up to 800 Kbps/sec, according to Mopar. The router will also extend the hot spot connection over a 100-foot radius, so you can be online any time, provided you find a parking space close enough.
USA Today reported that the system doesn’t currently offer service restrictions to the driver but that Chrysler “discourages” it. Nice to know, especially since we used to be concerned with drivers on cell phones, and now we have to worry about them breaking out laptops, but at least it’s discouraged.
Best of the Rest
The automaker’s UConnect service will also offer entertainment options geared mostly toward kids in the backseat, including SIRIUS Backseat TV, which offers Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and the Disney Channel.
If those channels don’t do it for your family, the UConnect system also includes a 30 GB hard drive that can hold up to 6,700 songs, or photos and movies.
The service does have its price, in addition to the thousands one would have to spend on a new car. The wireless router is set to retail for $449 plus a dealer installation fee between $35 and $50. Users will also have to shell out about $30 a month for the Web service, but we think it’s a small price to pay for staying constantly connected and entertained.