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Verizon Retrofits Vintage Legacy Vehicles With Smart Features
An anonymous reader writes: Verizon have released an after-market system called Hum that can bring 'smart' features to 150 million existing cars of various vintages going as far back as 1999. The system consists of an on-board diagnostic (OBD) reader plugged into the vehicle's OBD port and a Bluetooth-enabled device clipped to the visor. It's the presence of the ODB port that limits the maximum age of the car to 1996. Hum comes with an app, and enables features such as automatic accident reporting, roadside assistance services and the tracking of stolen cars. The service will cost $14.99 per month via subscription.
Thinking the same thing here... I don't consider anything made after 1980 to be "vintage".
Stupid headline had me thinking how they managed to stuff all of this into a 1963 Chevy II Nova SuperSport...
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
The accident reporting and roadside assistance features could be useful. As soon as these become readily available, though, one of the first things that a car thief would do is pull the dongle out of the OBD II port and throw it and the visor widget out the window, making it impossible to track the car. As a built in module, it works, because it's difficult for a thief to remove, but if it can be removed in 30 seconds without tools, it's worthless for tracking a stolen car.
Thing is, accident reporting and roadside assistance features can be had with any cell phone. And also some aftermarket in-dash radio/gps units.
Having these features as an add-on to the car would be convenient, if not for the monthly cost. It seems like Verizon is really reaching here.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.