Kyle's Corner (FYI) the Vehicle Dash: Talking to Your Vehicle Just Starts the Conversation

As compared to the
electronics found in
our homes and offices,
the most advanced
vehicles seem to be
well, in the stone age!

Like visiting an old
museum, spending
time in today's vehicles
means not having mod-
ern advances like Wi-Fi
and iTunes but rather
ancient technologies
(Satellite Radio, in-dash

CD players, and small navigation screens).

Well, it will not be this way for long! In the near future, your vehicle's dash
will become as useful as your laptop. Ford already offers Sync (a combined
effort between the automaker and Microsoft) as a $395 option. And Kia is
rolling out a similar Microsoft developed system called Uvo for the 2011
Sorento and Sportage. The next generation of Sync involves an integrated
media hub named MyFordTouch. It is reported that future electric vehicles
will vastly change the way transportation connects with the wireless
infrastructure.

Today, vehicle technology is mostly 'hardware' based as physical units
are installed to provide Satellite Radio, etc. However, in the near future,
the latest technological updates will be software items to be simply
uploaded just like how applications change an iPhone from a music player
to a phone to a restaurant guide.

The MyFordTouch will alter such things as the entertainment center,
instrument cluster, voice commands, and steering wheel buttons based on
what software application the driver chooses. In this regard, realize that the
electronic playing field will be open to all the automakers meaning that the
largest will not necessarily dominate the new automotive frontier!

Some automotive manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, and Ford are
experimenting with Wi-Fi in their latest vehicles. In the near future,
however, the majority of new vehicles will become moving Wi-Fi units,
either sharing an Internet connection with a smart phone (referred to as
'tethering') or with a separate detected plan.

According to iSuppli telemetries analyst Richard Robinson, it is projected
that in five years, 25 percent of vehicles will be connected to the Internet.
Just how big will these in vehicle changes be? It will be like our computer
before and after an Internet connection. As using a keyboard and mouse in
future vehicles will be difficult when driving, systems such as MyFordTouch
will use voice recognition to easily and safely access music with Pandora and
social networks like Twitter.

Mercedes now offers a ($700) optional SplitView screen in its S-Class
and CL-Class vehicles, which use a single in-dash mounted screen that
projects two separate images - one to the driver and another to the passenger.
The system will enable the passenger to view a movie and the driver to
view the regular screen. Despite the 14 state restriction on dual screens,
other automakers are likely to offer similar systems on vehicles in the
near future.

Regarding safety, Ford's Buczkowski says that smart text-to-speech
interface will keep drivers from texting themselves into accidents. He
says, "We are going to leverage very heavily on our voice-recognition
systems because it allows you to keep your eyes on the road and your
hands on the wheel." At present, with 19 states (and counting) restricting
drivers' access to cell phones, text messages, and the Internet in vehicles,
it seems certain that hands-free voice recognition will become the norm in
the automotive industry. After all, drivers have had many voice conversions
in vehicles since the beginning of driving.

Moreover, a vehicle connected to the Internet will be able to interface with
other vehicles and the infrastructure will act as an actual safety feature. Down
the road, drivers will be able to give their vehicle a verbal command and the
vehicle will transport them to the destination with drivers viewing a movie
from the Internet

Such technology indeed requires infrastructure. However, in Japan it is
happening now. Nissan is already testing in-car systems that let drivers
know about accidents, see hidden road hazards. and become aware of
pedestrians that could be hit. The new Nissan Leaf all electric vehicle
will send data regarding the car's operation to a central data base. And
this is only the beginning!

All of these technological innovations will be useful. However, I opinion
that like most things in life, the driver will need to 'define' what the driving
experience should and will be. I think that when you or I do not define, it
will be decided very quickly for us.

You have the ability to choose your diving experience. After all, you
should be your vehicle's master and not the other way around!

Have an auto question or comment? You can email it to me at
Kbusch3@verizon.net. Kyle Busch is the author of "Drive the Best
for the Price..." www.DriveTheBestBook.com.