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Tricked-Out Cars Trickling Down
Good sends us to an IBTimes article on the expanding trend for more options for electronic gadgetry — telematics — in cars. Manufacturers are including more high-tech options in more models, including low-end models, as component prices drop and as the car makers attempt to sell to a demographic that has grown up surrounded by personal electronics. According to a telematics analyst, Bluetooth hands-free modules for cell phones will be available on more than a third of car models sold in the US in 2007, and auxiliary jacks for iPods in nearly half. From the article: "One of the industry's more advanced systems will be Ford's Sync, which connects digital music players to the car's voice-control communications system and reads aloud cell-phone text messages and has 20 preset text-message responses... The flash memory-based system, controlled through voice commands and buttons on the steering wheel, is based on a Microsoft Corp. operating system for cars."
Though it's nice to have all these gadgets and options, I worry about upgrades. For example, I specifically didn't get a navigation system because I don't want to be locked in to something that costs more to upgrade in the future (if it's possible at all).
An audio jack though, should be available in every new car. I don't see the minijack going away anytime soon.
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Actually, they probably do mean iPod specific. There are plenty of new cars that come with iPod control options (control through the steering wheel or head unit, similarly to a CD changer). From what I've read, most of these leave a lot to be desired.
I'd actually prefer a standard AUX in, personally.
No power anything, no heated seats, no GPS, nothing. Just the frame, the tub, the engine, power trane (tranny, transfer case, axles, suspension, drive shafts...), wheels, two front seats, pedals, steering, and the instrument cluster. I even had the stereo taken out to keep honest people honest when the top is off.
And you know what? It's not only fine, but it is comfortable and it is the most fun vehicle to drive...
The odd thing is that the studies show that talking with someone in the car is not nearly as distracting. My theory is that is because your attention is still on something in the immediate environment. When talking on a phone, the mind is elsewhere. The phone provides a lower bandwidth data link (no body language, etc.) and so more imagination is used to fill in the details. But that's just my theory, the data speaks for itself: any phone use in a car is dangerous.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
LAST time we had a 'revolution' in personal music electronics, ie CD players, car radios started having aux inputs commonly available so you didn't have to buy a CD player radio. Then when everyone finally had CD players, they stopped providing aux inputs.
THE TIME BEFORE THAT when we had a 'revolution' in personal music electronics, ie portable cassette players, car radios started having aux inputs commonly available so you didn't have to buy a cassette player radio. Then when everyone finally had cassette players, they stopped providing aux inputs.
I don't know if anyone ever had portable 8-track players commonly available enough to make an aux input useful. I *do* know that Motorola was started as a company making record players for cars, hence the name: Motor Victrola. I don't think those record players were particularly portable, however.
The point being, aux inputs come into vogue every time the price differential between portable electronics and car stereos exhibiting the same functionality rise above the price that it takes to reengineer them to put an input jack in the case somewhere.
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.
Gadgets and other gimmicks are fine, but how about something real, like what Renault did a while back... have four little wheels which when the car was stopped could move the car sideways. This beats the computer based parallel parking hands down. All you did was just stop, park, flip a switch to have the small wheels take the vehicle's weight and move it left or right and slide in the parking place.
Or, how about money on R&D so hybrid technology isn't just in small, sluggish vehicles which become mobile tombs if a standard size SUV hits them?
Or, perhaps substantial research on engine design. Ceramic engines which can run at hotter temperatures for better efficiency?
There is a lot more that can be done with cars than just adding a little bit of slant to the headlights, add 5-10 horsepower to the engine rating.
I've checked out the 2007 Infiniti G35 w/ Voice command, I was expecting difficulties but it actually worked like a dream. Others manufacturers have access to this tech (its likely licensed from an independant company, much like the Map DVD's). Its definately on the plus side of upgrading.
All this in-car entertainment etc cannot be really contributing to good driving.
Its a different source of music. I can change stations, songs, CD's, etc with a flick of my thumb on steering wheel mounted controls, so unless you propose driving in silence, yeah, it contributes to less need to dig through my car to swap CD's or twirl the dial on the radio looking for a song I like, hence, better driving. Likewise, if my car has a Bluetooth headset so I am not tempted to dig through my pocket and answer my phone with 1 hand on my ear, etc, its a good thing.
I've worked with vehicle electronics for quite a while, any wonder that I drive a 1980s car with manual everything?
Do you realize how much more polluntants your carburated 1980's car dumps into the air? How much less efficient it is compared to a equivalent 2007 model? I drive a modern car with a 6 speed manual, it has ABS which even if I could outbrake it in ideal conditions, impending accidents tend to occupy my mind with things other than perfect braking form, and traction control that works wonders in all but the worst of snow and can be quickly turned off if I really want to do something unwise. Automatic climate control means no futzing with the HVAC while the temperature swings wildly, etc.
Then again, if you work with vehicle electronics and don't trust them, maybe you just suck at vehicle electronics?
I worry about upgrades.
Upgrades are just one practical and obvious problem with non free software in cars. Your worries are justified in an industry that practically invented "planned obsolescence" and still practices every form imaginable. Just look at the myriad of mechanical and electrical fasteners that already exist in automobiles when standardization would be cheaper. Of course they chose M$, when they could have better control and lower costs of their own gnu/linux based systems.
There are more sinister problems with the lack of control non free software enforces. Some that spring to mind are
Other people can think of more sinister things, because I'm basically honest and don't think like the above.
The civil liberty implications are the most disturbing, even though they directly effect a small minority of activists who may be harassed and silenced. The indirect effect of a corporate/government police surveillance state apply to all and are much greater than the sum of their parts and is miserable for everyone. The only thing more expensive than liberty is slavery.
I'm going to avoid the whole mess, if I can. I have devices that work and don't need built in toys.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
but the thing is, that's not very impressive. I get, almost without fail, 54mpg+ with my 2002 2 litre diesel bmw. that's got 150bhp, loads of torque and drives well.
I like the idea of hybrids, no doubt, but claiming that 51mpg is really good is laughable. they need to start returning 99mpg+ on average before anyone is really going to take them seriously I think.
dave