Put Your Smartphone In Charge Of Your Car

Details

latest tech

Sunday, 07 November 2010 09:05

By Leon Enzo

You may have seen it on TV. And very soon, you'll be able to do it yourself - put your smartphone in charge of your car.

Consider your smartphone your car's manager - opening windows, locking doors, turning on and off the engine, and potentially even finding out where you parked, keeping a maintenance record, and taking a fuel reading.

This is made possible using a system that connects from the central computer in your car to software installed on your phone.

The company behind this development is Mavizon Technologies, which presented it in the I-Stage competition for startup companies - and won first place.

System installation is as simple as installing a car stereo system. One of the interesting plug-ins you get with the system is software that tracks your vehicle's health.

By taking all the current maintenance readings like changing oil and tyres, and logging the miles travelled, it knows to alert you when the vehicle needs attention or when it's time to replace parts.

The system will also provide additional options like surfing the Internet, connecting with social services, maps and navigation, along with controls for reporting accidents or mishaps.

Millions in Chinese Aid for Agriculture Antigua St. John's - Agricultural equipment, greenhouses, soil testing technology, and training and implementation assistance for Antigua & Barbu... read more

The system's price will be US$300. Beyond the initial setup, there will be no additional cost to the customer; however the software will include advertising that you can get rid of by upgrading to a pro version.

But the question remains. What will the commercial companies do with all our location data and information about our habits acquired through these systems. How is this information going to serve them? Will they use it to aggressively sell us products and follow our habits? Or will it serve them only for the development of the system< This question has no clear answer, but one thing is clear. Privacy will disappear - even in the car.

 

• < Prev
• Next >