The advertisements for cars and trucks have begun to tout some new features. Not only are the new ads promoting good gas mileage, cool headlights and attention-grabbing design, they are emphasizing connectivity. While mobile phones in cars and services like OnStar have been around for many years, high speed mobile connectivity and even true Internet access has been slow to find its way into family car. That is changing at freeway speed.
Cars now have a variety of cool new features. Some high end models have systems that continuously monitor the cars status and transmit that information back to the dealer. So a failing exhaust sensor in your engine, a bad break rotor or burned out tail light may be known to Clyde, your service technician, before you know about it. You may get a call from Clyde inviting you to stop in rather than you calling to make a service appointment.
Adding two way communications capacity to traditional GPS services allows easy tracking of vehicles. Major trucking and delivery companies have used this technology for years allowing you to know when that package of cookies from Aunt Edna will be on your front porch. While privacy issues loom large with these features, knowing exactly where your teenage son is on a Friday night may for many parents trump privacy concerns.
We have often discussed in these columns various online music services like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes Radio. These have been not been readily available in cars unless you used a smartphone connected to your auto’s sound system. Even with Bluetooth technology for this connection, this was not always a seamless experience. With true Internet access provided to automobiles using 4G and other WIMAX networks, listening to your favorite Cincinnati radio station while driving on the LA Freeway will be as easy as it is now to listen while driving on I-74.
Don’t look for a slide out keyboard for mobile texting replacing the cup holder on your dashboard or a pull down high definition TV hanging from your rearview mirror. Car makers need to provide online based functions that truly assist rather than distract the driver. Nevertheless, reading the sticker on your next new car may well require you to compare Internet speed along with miles per gallon and engine horsepower as you choose that new ride.
Showing posts with label WiMax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WiMax. Show all posts
Monday, February 20, 2012
Sunday, November 13, 2011
WiFI on the Road
Wifi in Your Car, Not!
When it began it was only available to major universities, laboratories and the military. Then it migrated into the offices of the nation’s largest corporations. It wasn’t long before you could find it in k-12 schools and then in our homes. Going mobile, it found its way into our pocket or purse. It was only a matter of time before it found its way into our cars.
At a time when billboards and radio spots encourage people not to text while driving, adding more stuff to that LCD display found front and center in many new cars seems, at best, ill-advised. Nevertheless, automakers from Audi to Volkswagen are beginning to offer Internet based services in their new models.
With several mobile phone companies offering 4G services, enjoying a robust Internet connection while traveling at 65 mph down I-74 is now possible. Is it a good idea? Apparently several automakers think so.
A perusal of the cars section of the daily newspaper will show several companies touting their in-car wifi. Now, most are very careful to emphasize in the ads that this Internet access is for your passengers. In some TV spots the camera pans to a passenger in the rear seat working on a lap top. Another ad offers Internet radio services like Pandora.com to provide some music accompaniment to your daily commute.
One of my favorite TV commercials shows an LCD display on the dash of a new car replete with icons and symbols. The narrator describes how riding shotgun has never been so much fun. I have to wonder how you access all these features on the LCD screen if you are the only person in the car.
Most of us have embraced the navigation services and it seems that more people than ever are on the phone while driving. It is not uncommon to see a fellow commuter drinking coffee, putting on make up or eating an Egg Mc Muffin while driving. You may have seen someone doing all three.
So, when driving to work, don’t be surprised if you see that the “passenger” riding shotgun is really a lap top and the driver is answering email between sips of coffee.
When it began it was only available to major universities, laboratories and the military. Then it migrated into the offices of the nation’s largest corporations. It wasn’t long before you could find it in k-12 schools and then in our homes. Going mobile, it found its way into our pocket or purse. It was only a matter of time before it found its way into our cars.
At a time when billboards and radio spots encourage people not to text while driving, adding more stuff to that LCD display found front and center in many new cars seems, at best, ill-advised. Nevertheless, automakers from Audi to Volkswagen are beginning to offer Internet based services in their new models.
With several mobile phone companies offering 4G services, enjoying a robust Internet connection while traveling at 65 mph down I-74 is now possible. Is it a good idea? Apparently several automakers think so.
A perusal of the cars section of the daily newspaper will show several companies touting their in-car wifi. Now, most are very careful to emphasize in the ads that this Internet access is for your passengers. In some TV spots the camera pans to a passenger in the rear seat working on a lap top. Another ad offers Internet radio services like Pandora.com to provide some music accompaniment to your daily commute.
One of my favorite TV commercials shows an LCD display on the dash of a new car replete with icons and symbols. The narrator describes how riding shotgun has never been so much fun. I have to wonder how you access all these features on the LCD screen if you are the only person in the car.
Most of us have embraced the navigation services and it seems that more people than ever are on the phone while driving. It is not uncommon to see a fellow commuter drinking coffee, putting on make up or eating an Egg Mc Muffin while driving. You may have seen someone doing all three.
So, when driving to work, don’t be surprised if you see that the “passenger” riding shotgun is really a lap top and the driver is answering email between sips of coffee.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
WiFi on Steroids
Last year I mentioned in one of my weekly columns that I was following the development of a new technology that could have significant impact on how and where we connect to the Internet. That technology is called WIMAX and earlier this month the first major installation began operation in parts of Baltimore, MD.
Most of us know about WiFi, a related technology for wirelessly hooking up to an Internet connection without the use of wires. Most offices and many private homes have installed WiFi connections as have many coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and libraries. You can even sit on a park bench in Garfield Park in downtown Cincinnati and answer email and surf the web wirelessly with the free WiFi connection offered there.
One big limitation of WiFi is that the “signal” can only be transmitted over very short distances, often less than a few hundred feet. So, while this technology is great if you are sitting at a table drinking coffee, it does not work while on the move in car, bus or train. Also, unlike cell phones, the WiFi cells or “spots” are very limited in coverage.
You can think of WIMAX as WiFi on steroids. The coverage area of one WIMAX cell can be measured in square miles rather than in square feet. As a result, an entire city or county can be covered by a few high powered WIMAX transmitters.
A combination of advances in technology and the recently freed up radio spectrum have made WIMAX, a technology long confined to the laboratory, a viable commercial product that should help feed our insatiable appetite for mobile computer access and advanced communication.
Now I am sure that you would agree that the prospect of commuters on I-74 answering email on their laptop while driving 70 mph on the way to work is hardly a benefit to society, if we look a bit deeper we will find several other more valuable applications.
Cars with WIMAX capability could transform the way we listen to the radio. Since most major radio stations in the US provide their programming on the Internet, these stations can now be listened to anywhere. If you want to hear Marty lament another Reds loss, you could listen to WLW 700 while driving on a Los Angeles freeway.
As more and more cars are controlled by computers, software updates could be downloaded to your car’s innards without a stop at the dealer service shop. While some of this happens now using the mobile phone network, the WIMAX bandwidth is exponentially greater than what is possible via cell phone.
For public service personnel there are some tremendously exciting possibilities. The transfer of medical information to first responders could save lives. The ability for firefighters to access databases of information about a specific building or neighborhood while en route to an emergency situation has long been a dream. It may soon be common place.
WIMAX is only one of several technologies that are coming to market that will continue to allow us to “cut the cord” and wirelessly connect to our world regardless of place and time. This is a good thing as long as we remember that we can and should periodically turn it off .
Most of us know about WiFi, a related technology for wirelessly hooking up to an Internet connection without the use of wires. Most offices and many private homes have installed WiFi connections as have many coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and libraries. You can even sit on a park bench in Garfield Park in downtown Cincinnati and answer email and surf the web wirelessly with the free WiFi connection offered there.
One big limitation of WiFi is that the “signal” can only be transmitted over very short distances, often less than a few hundred feet. So, while this technology is great if you are sitting at a table drinking coffee, it does not work while on the move in car, bus or train. Also, unlike cell phones, the WiFi cells or “spots” are very limited in coverage.
You can think of WIMAX as WiFi on steroids. The coverage area of one WIMAX cell can be measured in square miles rather than in square feet. As a result, an entire city or county can be covered by a few high powered WIMAX transmitters.
A combination of advances in technology and the recently freed up radio spectrum have made WIMAX, a technology long confined to the laboratory, a viable commercial product that should help feed our insatiable appetite for mobile computer access and advanced communication.
Now I am sure that you would agree that the prospect of commuters on I-74 answering email on their laptop while driving 70 mph on the way to work is hardly a benefit to society, if we look a bit deeper we will find several other more valuable applications.
Cars with WIMAX capability could transform the way we listen to the radio. Since most major radio stations in the US provide their programming on the Internet, these stations can now be listened to anywhere. If you want to hear Marty lament another Reds loss, you could listen to WLW 700 while driving on a Los Angeles freeway.
As more and more cars are controlled by computers, software updates could be downloaded to your car’s innards without a stop at the dealer service shop. While some of this happens now using the mobile phone network, the WIMAX bandwidth is exponentially greater than what is possible via cell phone.
For public service personnel there are some tremendously exciting possibilities. The transfer of medical information to first responders could save lives. The ability for firefighters to access databases of information about a specific building or neighborhood while en route to an emergency situation has long been a dream. It may soon be common place.
WIMAX is only one of several technologies that are coming to market that will continue to allow us to “cut the cord” and wirelessly connect to our world regardless of place and time. This is a good thing as long as we remember that we can and should periodically turn it off .
Monday, January 21, 2008
2008 Consumer Electronics Show Review
Well, neither my day job employer, CET, nor the Harrison Press was willing or able to ante up for my travel to the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which ran January 7 thru 10 in Las Vegas. While I do serve on a national advisory group that held its meeting as part of the show, by the time I found that out the limited hotel rooms were long gone. For the uninitiated, the CES is the largest trade show in the US. This year more than 140,000 (that’s right, one hundred and forty thousand) people attended. For those interested in technology and technology trends, this is as close to heaven as it gets. I have been able to vicariously participate by monitoring various blogs, news reports and getting first hand reports from people who were there.
For as long as I can remember, Bill Gates has always given a Key Note speech to open the show. This year with his upcoming retirement, he announced that this would be his last one. There is a really neat funny video produced as part of his presentation that you just have to see. You can view it anytime on YouTube.com. The address is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1M-IafCor4 For anyone who follows Microsoft this video is a must.
Spread out over acres and acres of exhibit space were products ranging sfrom giant plasma TVs to cell phone ring tones. Here are a few of the more interesting products and announcements.
The High Definition DVD Player wars seem to be coming to an end. By this time next year the victor should be known. Right now Sony® and its Blue Ray™ technology seem to be winning the battle as more and more content providers are siding with this technology. While Toshiba® and its HD DVD™ system has not yet thrown in the towel, I think they will soon. If most of the good movies are available only on Blue Ray™ it will be tough to fight. Many analysts note that for most people the quality of the picture is just about same for Blue Ray™ and HD DVD™. So content will be king.
Panasonic® obviously feels that “bigger is better” as they displayed the largest Plasma TV in the world. This 150 inch behemoth produces a TV picture that can cover an entire wall. You could use it in your living room where it could double as a “virtual window.” Don’t like looking out your window at your neighbor’s 1964 pick up truck propped up on blocks? Now you can have view of the skyline of New York or the mountains of Colorado. It will cost you, though. Since it is a prototype, a firm sticker price has yet to be set. But as they say, “if you have to ask…?”
I am a bit cautious about even mentioning the next technology since it has been displayed for two or three years and has yet to come to market in any substantial way. It is called WiMax. This technology provides high speed access to the Internet and other computer applications wirelessly over very large areas. You can think of it at WiFi on steroids. While several cell phone providers have data networks, they really are not as fast as a typical connection in your house with DSL or cable modems. If this technology does finally make it to market this year you can look for big changes in what you can do on line in a car, bus or train. Even radio as we know it may change since you will be able to listen to any radio station on line from anywhere in the world using an internet connection in your car. There are still several hurdles to overcome, but vendors promise WiMax network roll outs in Washington DC, New York City and a few other major cities in 2008.
For as long as I can remember, Bill Gates has always given a Key Note speech to open the show. This year with his upcoming retirement, he announced that this would be his last one. There is a really neat funny video produced as part of his presentation that you just have to see. You can view it anytime on YouTube.com. The address is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1M-IafCor4 For anyone who follows Microsoft this video is a must.
Spread out over acres and acres of exhibit space were products ranging sfrom giant plasma TVs to cell phone ring tones. Here are a few of the more interesting products and announcements.
The High Definition DVD Player wars seem to be coming to an end. By this time next year the victor should be known. Right now Sony® and its Blue Ray™ technology seem to be winning the battle as more and more content providers are siding with this technology. While Toshiba® and its HD DVD™ system has not yet thrown in the towel, I think they will soon. If most of the good movies are available only on Blue Ray™ it will be tough to fight. Many analysts note that for most people the quality of the picture is just about same for Blue Ray™ and HD DVD™. So content will be king.
Panasonic® obviously feels that “bigger is better” as they displayed the largest Plasma TV in the world. This 150 inch behemoth produces a TV picture that can cover an entire wall. You could use it in your living room where it could double as a “virtual window.” Don’t like looking out your window at your neighbor’s 1964 pick up truck propped up on blocks? Now you can have view of the skyline of New York or the mountains of Colorado. It will cost you, though. Since it is a prototype, a firm sticker price has yet to be set. But as they say, “if you have to ask…?”
I am a bit cautious about even mentioning the next technology since it has been displayed for two or three years and has yet to come to market in any substantial way. It is called WiMax. This technology provides high speed access to the Internet and other computer applications wirelessly over very large areas. You can think of it at WiFi on steroids. While several cell phone providers have data networks, they really are not as fast as a typical connection in your house with DSL or cable modems. If this technology does finally make it to market this year you can look for big changes in what you can do on line in a car, bus or train. Even radio as we know it may change since you will be able to listen to any radio station on line from anywhere in the world using an internet connection in your car. There are still several hurdles to overcome, but vendors promise WiMax network roll outs in Washington DC, New York City and a few other major cities in 2008.
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