In-Car Video Chat and 4G Streaming From OnStar

thecarchik writes "At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, OnStar will reveal the latest on their system. This time, the system will be equipped in a Chevy Volt research vehicle, which seems to be a more appropriate vessel than a Buick for previewing your latest technology. In a press release teasing the appearance, OnStar said the system will offer such features as cloud-based streaming of information and entertainment, rear-seat infotainment management and video chat. Video chat may sound like a terrifying feature for any car, but OnStar said in last year's CES press materials that the feature would only be enabled when the car is in park. Other features like video streaming would also be limited to the rear seat or to a parked vehicle."

Comments

Video in the back seat

[ColdWetDog]

Uh huh. Video 'chat' in the back seat of a parked car.

Add a pair of teenagers, sit back with some popcorn and watch the movie.

(If you're into that sort of thing).

Re:In the voice of Jeremy Clarkson

[Anonymous Coward]

RTFS? (The S is for summary)
"CES press materials that the feature would only be enabled when the car is in park"

Data tracking

[Macrat]

In a press release teasing the appearance, OnStar said the system will offer such features as cloud-based streaming of information and entertainment...

...directly to local law enforcement.

Re:Data tracking

[sigmabody]

Not just local law enforcement. Any government entity, law enforcement or otherwise, without the bothersome inconvenience of probably cause, warrants, or any of that other pre-telematics nonsense. Hope you're not engaging in any activities which the government might think are supportive of terrorists (like, say, talking about seditious thoughts).

The fact that people buy cars equipped with OnStar is either a sign that we deserve our oppressive government, or is a testimony to the ignorance of the voting public...

I don't understand these features

[sinij]

I can understand why you wouldn't want to have video chat going while driving. What I can't understand is why build anything into a car that is not useful while driving? Wouldn't your smart phone or laptop be a much better device to use for a video chat, especially since you are NOT driving? Another point to consider - how many people here still using their cell phone from 4 years ago? Well, 4 year old car still considered "gently used", with most cars lasting 8-12 years. How this vendor-locked technology going to get upgraded?

Re:I don't understand these features

[sociocapitalist]

This is not for people who keep their car for 8-12 years. It's for people who have money to burn or who aren't paying for it themselves, i.e. corporate execs driving, or being driven in, company cars that are generally only kept for a year.

Only in park, huh....

[joocemann]

Just like every other "technical barrier" the simple undoing will be technical as well... Probably a snip of a line then a soldered in resistor...

Re:Only in park, huh....

[cbope]

And your insurance carrier will drop you like a rock without paying a dime after you get into an accident and an investigation uncovers your hack...

About time

[f1vlad]

About time, people have been needing many features introduced here forever; mp3car.com community makes a good case for that.

Please focus on the car

[Anonymous Coward]

I really wish automobile manufacturers would focus on building quality cars before jumping on the smartphone/tablet bandwagon. Seriously, who uses a carphone these days? It's like the car the turned into a tent. A tent is $100. That is not a good reason to buy a car, nor is a built in phone/tablet/computer. How about a head gasket that doesn't wear out at 20,000 kms?

Re:Please focus on the car

[PolygamousRanchKid]

I really wish automobile manufacturers would focus on building quality cars before jumping on the smartphone/tablet bandwagon.

You do realize that you are talking about General Motors, which is owned by the 'guvment for exactly the reason that they can't build quality cars?

And being owned by the government certainly isn't going to help them think about maybe building good cars that people want to buy. Sure, there are some exceptions, but they wouldn't have dug themselves into a bankruptcy hole without bad management and bad cars.

Overdoing it.

[Animats]

Look at Bruce McCall's "Fully Loaded".cartoon. That was supposed to be a joke, not a design document.

this is what happens when the car sucks

[holophrastic]

At some point, around 20 years ago, they stopped advertising the car part of the car. It's black, it has eyebrows, it gets good mileage, it has 8 music players, 12 bluetooth devices, phones, and video everything.

You know why it's all necessary? Because the car itself is just no fun to drive.

Instead, I bought a brand new, relatively inexpensive sports car about two year ago. It has none of the above said features. It has a radio, and a cd player, neither of which I can hear when the roof is down -- which is always, including throughout the winter, and in the rain when on the highway. And there's no road rage, no matter how bad the traffic -- and I'm in a city with an average commute time of 2 hours per day.

It's fun, because it's a joy to drive. The seats can't recline, there's no back seat, there's a small trunk, and a great engine. And lots and lots of mountain roads. Oh, so many mountain roads.

Is it good on gas? That depends. Sure I save money at the pump. But I drive it three times as much.

Could be a problem with this...

[Mashiki]

In most places, video like this on the screen is illegal(whether it's videos, pictures, or anything else). Unless the vehicle is stopped, or is only used for backup purposes, and the vehicle is only going forward less than 10ft. Not sure how they're going to get around the law on this, but in most of Canada the vehicles couldn't be sold with the "feature" working as demonstrated.

Re:Where are they going to get BANDWIDTH?

[hitmark]

Wikipedia claims that Onstar uses Verizon's mobile network.