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I don't understand new "connected cars" ...

PraireBronze

PraireBronze

Member
... I mean, it's just 4G, right? I see these commercials touting the ability for the kids to watch a movie on a tablet in this car, but not that car. So what if the car is a hotspot? First of all, so is my phone. Second, both my phone and tablet are 4G capable, just like the car. Why would I Wi-Fi to 4G? The only need I would ever have for a hotspot is for my laptop. And like I said, my phone has the ability to be a hotspot. I don't get it.

I was fiddling with the infotainment system in my wife's new MB GLK350 and I see "URL" in the menus. Sure enough, I could type in a website and (eventually) it came up on the car's screen. Worked terribly, but the ability was there.
 
IIRC , your car doesn't have 4G.
You need to set your phone as a hotspot so the infotainment of the car can use your phone(by bluetooth) to go on the net.
IIRC.
 
My take is that the future of marketing new cars will cater to the smart phone generation. It seems that many are more in tune with their latest phones than with their cars as exemplified by the current infatuation with "driverless" cars. Not sure what things look like where you are but here in Silicon Valley the "Mother Church" is Apple and it seems that everytime someone at Apple starts hyping the latest bleeding edge product, it is actually covered by the local networks as if it were news around here. Needless to say, the lines start forming at the Apple stores. I call it the "I-Crack" addiction to all that is Apple.

Think of "1984" and "Matrix" and the current trends toward those "future" worlds. Make sure to put on your foil hats before it is too late !o_O
 
B67FSTB said:
IIRC , your car doesn't have 4G.
You need to set your phone as a hotspot so the infotainment of the car can use your phone(by bluetooth) to go on the net.
IIRC.
Click to expand...

That makes sense, but no, that's not the way it's working. I can bring up the internet on the MB with no cell phone.
 
And then there's this.
(CNN) - A flaw in some Chrysler vehicles allows hackers to control the cars remotely, using the internet.

Hackers can disable brakes, shut down the engine, make electronics go haywire and even drive the cars off the road.

Research revealed Tuesday said the problems stem from a flaw in the wireless service Uconnect that hooks the vehicles to the Sprint network.

Researchers said Jeep Cherokees, Chrysler 200s, Dodge Rams and several other models made since late 2013 are vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Chrysler said it is offering a software upgrade to fix the problem, and customers should install it as soon as possible.
 
There is a crying need to watch the latest Kardasian YouTube video that's driving the connectivity trend...that and Kaitlain Jennings.


Whenever I set up my phone as a WiFi hot-spot, the battery use goes way up, so the phone has to be constantly plugged in. Why not simply install a 4G receiver in the car itself with an account w/Verizon or whoever?
 
All new cars are vulnerable to hacking. Whether it comes via the internet to the vehicle or at a dealership where a hacker can infiltrate the main system by putting a virus in a car that is at the dealer for work. That virus can then be uploaded back to the mother ship and they spread it to all dealers and cars that the dealer touches. A hacker could program that all 2014 Merc CLKs turn left at 7am on Jan 1st. It could happen. Feels good to drive a old piece of steel doesn't it?
 
@Jeff, Apple may be king on your side of the valley, but here in Mt. View, Google is the emperor.
They have more driverless Lexus SUV's running around...
Also, this town has the highest concentration of Teslas, 'cept maybe Palo Alto...
You cant walk 5 feet without tripping over them.
Sub 11 second 1/4 mile cars, I want one!!
 
I like points, a rotor, maybe even a generator and a tube style AM radio. The rest is not necessary.
 
Wait for it!



A MS windows car!

The blue screen of death takes on new realism.

Mel

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
 
Driverless cars will increase accident rates a lot. People already aren't paying attention now. if they don't need to drive or even hold onto the wheel, it's going to be a lot worse.
 
They are banking on everyone getting one therefore the accident rates will go down because there is no human error.

I say pass the Tesla and poppycock to driverless.

Might be nice on a 16 hour drive like I just finished.

Mel

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
 
MD69Boss said:
@Jeff, Apple may be king on your side of the valley, but here in Mt. View, Google is the emperor.
They have more driverless Lexus SUV's running around...
Also, this town has the highest concentration of Teslas, 'cept maybe Palo Alto...
You cant walk 5 feet without tripping over them.
Sub 11 second 1/4 mile cars, I want one!!
Click to expand...

Dana:

I agree that Google is also a force to be reckoned with but, in the context of the smart phone generation, the I-crack phone seems to dominate. My Google phone is wildly outnumbered everywhere I go in the Bay Area. I suppose it is my aversion to sitting at the "popular table".

In my opinion the proponents of driverless cars would do well to take the bus and leave the road less congested for those of us who actually enjoy driving.

At this point, it seems that the bulk of the Tesla's around here (and there are quite a few) are being driven by well heeled people making a social statement, sort of like the early adopters of the Prius, but more exclusive. I have yet to see a Tesla around here driven with vigor. Remember that using that acceleration capability totally tanks the car's range. Consider the old hot rodder's quote: "My car passess everything except a gas station". Limited range and the limited capacity of the current electrical power grid to handle the demand if everyone drove one are impediments to that future world.
 
Agree, that in current iteration, tearing ass in a Tesla is not feasible. But if you haven't driven one hard, (I have), go test drive one, they are a blast, and goddamn, they are fast! :)
 
PraireBronze said:
... I mean, it's just 4G, right? I see these commercials touting the ability for the kids to watch a movie on a tablet in this car, but not that car. So what if the car is a hotspot? First of all, so is my phone. Second, both my phone and tablet are 4G capable, just like the car. Why would I Wi-Fi to 4G? The only need I would ever have for a hotspot is for my laptop. And like I said, my phone has the ability to be a hotspot. I don't get it.

I was fiddling with the infotainment system in my wife's new MB GLK350 and I see "URL" in the menus. Sure enough, I could type in a website and (eventually) it came up on the car's screen. Worked terribly, but the ability was there.
Click to expand...

Yes, it just 4G it awesome for Taking the kids on Trips...
2014-culture-4glte-mh-1-1480x551.jpg
 
I don't have kids, so pardon my ignorance. The kid's devices are Wi-Fi, and not 4G? And whatever that is she has in the picture, that's W-Fi and not 4G?
 
4G comes in over the air, primarily for smart phones, and the car converts it to WiFi so that non-4G devices can browse the 'Net. Most devices (e.g. tablets) have a premium cost for 4G, so many are only WiFi capable. You can convert a smart phone into WiFi hot spot, but that sucks up a lot of battery. I suppose you could plug the smart phone into the cigarette lighter to keep it charged.

The real question is what happens in 4 years when everything is 5 or 6G?
 
and here I thought cars these days were to get from point A to point B in the most efficient and fastest way possible. Whoduh thought that you needed to surf the net and watch movies.

That's what makes driving these old cars so much more fun. Get in and drive stupid.
 
The idea is basically you have 4G somewhere and your kids can stream cartoons off Netflix while riding. Updated version of a built-in TV with a VCR. You can also stream music into the stereo system which what I do. My main issue with the car manufacturers is all those neat electronic things they are doing are like five years out of date when they hit the showroom. I prefer an older setup where I can Bluetooth connect to my phone and do what I want, not be stuck with some proprietary factory setup that is outdated and not all that great when new and will be terribly so in a few short years. You can see some of this already in older high end vehicles that came with in-dash navigation that no one ever uses anymore and some of the fairly terrible in dash screens that did not age well at all. And don't talk to me about the crap quality in-dash amber LCD displays the Germans thought were the way to go for about ten years. Many of which have degraded to the point where you can't read essential information about your car. (cough BMW cough) The worst part is when they charge you a premium for such crap technology.
 
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