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OnStar has played eye-in-the-sky for police chasing down stolen GM vehicles about 58,000 times since the system was introduced. But last week it helped do something it's never done before — it rescued a woman's Chrysler. Yup, carjackers who don't read Jalopnik are going to be so confused. More »
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In the face of a full-on revolt from users and pressure from Congress, Drudge Report and other media outlets, General Motors' OnStar service just announced it was reversing plans to keep tracking vehicles of its 6 million subscribers if they cancel the service. Now once it's off, it's off. More »
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For years, General Motors' OnStar service has been a stoic electronic nanny, there to help if your car's crashed or stolen, but otherwise pleasantly unobtrusive. Now OnStar wants the right to sell data about GM owners' driving habits — even if they've canceled the service. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5842450&view=rss&microfeed=true Microsoft and Toyota today announced they've forged a strategic partnership to build a global platform for ToMoCo's next-generation telematics services using the Windows Azure platform. In layman's terms — they're building a GM OnStar competitor. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5789498&view=rss&microfeed=true OnStar subscribers along the Pacific coast can push the blue button and get access to trained crisis-assist advisors who can give info or send help. OnStar also urges those with the button to help out non-subscribers too. More »
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GM's just announced details on its new Sync-fighting infotainment system called MyLink. As in "Chevy" MyLink and "Buick" MyLink and "GMC" MyLink and...well, you get the picture. Basically, it does everything Sync does. It's a shame it took 'em three years to do it. More »
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When Chris Preuss was appointed OnStar's President last March, he was tasked with revitalizing the crown jewel of automotive telematics systems. He's since developed a new marketing campaign and a push into consumer electronics. Go ahead, ask him anything. More »
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Starting this spring, OnStar will begin selling — for $299 — "Anywhere," a standalone rearview mirror compatible with most top-selling vehicles that allows access to much of OnStar's services. Yup, it's OnStar-to-go. This may be the coolest safety-and-security gadget ever. More »
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This year goyim boys and girls can get updates on Santa Claus' journey around the the world from OnStar and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Jewish boys and girls, alas, are likely out of luck. More »
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Before settling for a more traditional launch of its Cruze small sedan, Chevrolet ad execs pitched a spot featuring Republican star Sarah Palin and comedy doppelganger Tina Fey. Why did it die? Too hot for Government Motors. More »
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Brand New, the blog obsessed with corporate branding, took on OnStar yesterday. They give a thumbs up on the new creative, but although they think modernizing the OnStar logo through a sans serif was smart, they question the execution. [BrandNew] More »
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Dan Akerson, the new General Motors CEO, in his first Detroit interviews, explains OnStar's new direction in terms Buick owners understand. Photo Credit: Ann Baldwin / Shutterstock More »
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At a GM OnStar walk-through on Facebook and other new tech enhancements this past week, we saw the brand's new LiveOn marketing campaign. One element is the return of Toonces, the driving cat, to Saturday Night Live. Seriously! More »
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As we hinted last week, OnStar's new Facebook application will enable drivers to verbally dictate a message to update their status on the social networking site. It's easy and seems to be fairly safe to do. Video below. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5638294&view=rss&microfeed=true Over 15 years GM's OnStar delivered 59 million turn-by-turn directions and unlocked 4.7 million car doors. Only half of those were for my mother. [GM] More »
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GM's next generation OnStar will get a major upgrade and challenge Ford's Sync system with infotainment options. In addition to OnStar's well-known unparalleled route guidance and safety assistance services, the new system will get apps like Facebook. More »
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The cross-dressing 22-year-old who carjacked the Tahoe belonging to anti-Detroit Tennessee Senator Bob Corker's lovely daughter was just sentenced to two years in prison, thanks in part to GM's OnStar system. Good thing she wasn't driving a Volkswagen. [Washington Post] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5594925&view=rss&microfeed=true OnStar's joined Ford announcing beamable Google Map directions that're hopefully better than walking directions. [GM] More »
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OnStar announced today they're officially working with Google to deepen OnStar's mobile app development and expand the reach of OnStar's "eNav service." Basically, it'll attempt to make the Chevy Volt even more "Jesus Car"-like than before. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5541438&view=rss&microfeed=true OnStar? So 1990s. GM's reportedly negotiating with Google to compete with Ford/Microsoft Sync. [MotorTrend] More »
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The auto industry's first working smartphone application will allow Chevy Volt owners connection and control of vehicle functions. This makes it finally official — if the iPhone's the "Jesus Phone," then the Chevy Volt is the "Jesus Car." More »
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New car technology is great right up to the point you're tagging songs and checking out graphs and then it's "Ahhhhh! WATCH OUT FOR THE NUNS!" Here are ten in-car technologies we find seriously distracting. More »
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The daughter of Senator Bob Corker, ardent Detroit carmaker critic and lover of foreign automakers, has GM's OnStar system to thank for recovering her Chevy Tahoe after being carjacked in D.C. yesterday. Let's see her try that in a Nissan. More »
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Apparently, OnStar defines pulling .99 Gs of acceleration as a "Vehicle Event." An OnStar agent called the 700 HP Hennessey CTS-V immediately after the run just to make sure everyone was all right. Watch it happen here on video. More »
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The exciting OnStar stolen vehicle disabling system has been used to disable a stolen Chevy Tahoe in California overnight. The alleged carjacker bailed out of the car only to fall into a pool. More »
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GM's got one easy success story to gush about: OnStar. This video of the national map from their Detroit-based command center showing all 59,000+ interactions from just one day of service in lightning-fast-forward real-time reveals why. More »
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OnStar may soon partner with Twitter to offer hands-free tweeting capability to its suite of voice-activated communications services. This may be the perfect compliment to OnStar's automatic crash reporting. More »
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OnStar will now have the Poison Control Center on the other side of the little blue button, giving doting parents "peace of mind" over their helpless brood when they down a gallon of antifreeze. More »
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Toyota's ready to battle GM's OnStar with it's own on-board telematics program appropriately named Safety Connect and Lexus Enform. Of course GM could have avoided this if they'd let Lexus continue to use OnStar. More »
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GM saw a 30% rise in OnStar call volume Sunday, mainly from Gulf coast residents fleeing the approach of Hurricane Gustav. GM says it had as many as 500 OnStar advisors helping evacuees — more than 3,000 per hour by Sunday — get directions, find Red Cross shelters and make hotel reservations. Customers pushing the little blue button were also given 30 minutes worth of free airtime to take calls in their cars so family members could get in touch with loved ones. More »
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For all the goofy hype that surrounds it, OnStar is occasionally helpful to those who have it. The OnStar/GM Nav system should be getting better now that the Onstar-Mapquest service is ready to go. The three main features include the ability to feed an address to an OnStar advisor while driving, the ability to create maps on MapQuest.com and send them to your navigation system, and XM NavTraffic. We just made up the part about ex-avoidance. No amount of technology will keep you from bumping in to the only ex you abandoned in the woods at the worst possible moments. We have to give special props to the OnStar media people for using Gilley's of Urban Cowboy fame for the press photos. Is there going to be a mechanical bull point of interest feature? Press release below the jump. More »
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Those envious of the OnStar service from the General take note! No longer will you have to sit in jealousy as others track the location of their car's digitally, because Ford will begin implementing the SmartAlert system in vehicles soon. SmartAlert is a vehicle tracking system that will be factory-installed in Ford vehicles to assist in recovering stolen cars. More »
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Older OnStar systems that operate on the analog cellular network will no longer work as of January 1, or next week. Now why would OnStar ever want to send its most loyal, early-adopting users out to sea without a paddle? They wouldn't — but it's not like there are many other options, at least at this point. More »
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What's going on with GM and OnStar? For the past forever, all GM models (Cadillac STS excluded) have not included any kind of Bluetooth compatibility in order to ensure there's no competition with OnStar's cell service. That is, until now. Comparing OnStar to a Bluetooth compatible car and personal cellphone is like calling a McDonalds burger a filet mignon. No offense, McDonalds, my alcohol-lined stomach loves those burgers at 3 a.m. More »
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If you thought only American celebs like Jimmy Kimmel and Tiger Woods locked themselves out of their GM products, you'd be sorely mistaken. There are all sorts of Chinese celebs that need OnStar, too! Not to mention China has approximately 1.3 billion prospective customers. GM and the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Group (SAIC) are planning to provide almost the full range of OnStar features to China, including crash notification, roadside assistance, door unlock, handsfree calling and turn-by-turn navigation. Press release below the jump. More »
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With its entry in Design Los Angeles this year, GM's projecting the future of its OnStar service, on which the company just introduced new perp-thwarting gear. Apparently, in 2057, the telematics service will facilitate a vast network of embedded intelligence, enabling cars (i.e., foldable rolling pyramids) to communicate with each other. That, they say, will maximize traffic flow and prevent accidents, though some believe it may cause the formation of unhealthy attachments, a result of the futuristic machines' narcissistic sense of entitlement. The cars themselves, will be reconfigurable, by way of single-walled, carbon-polymer nanocomposites that form flat surface panels. The panels will incorporate the carbon nanotube battery that powers their e-motors. That settles it, in 50 years we're totally shorting jiffy lube stock. [Design Los Angeles] More »
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The subsidiary sitting atop a star that's owned by the General is taking the turn-by-turn downloadble direction nav system in GM vehicles pretty seriously. They announced yesterday at an embargoed press conference they're expanding their nav system by partnering with MapQuest to allow subscribers to send destinations from MapQuest.com directly to your OnStar-equipped vehicle. The system's called "OnStar Web Destination Entry" and they're planning to start with a pilot program in the summer of 2007 and then expand it to all OnStar subscribers starting late 2007. We guess that means you'll now be able to get lost with MapQuest directions by having them directly beamed to your car rather than print them out and take them with you. Hey, at least it's more environmentally friendly. Full press release and a screen shot of what the new MapQuest screen will look like after the jump. – Ray Wert More »
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I don't know if anyone else has seen the new Chevrolet commercial Gwen Stefani music video for the new Chevy Tahoe her new song, "The Sweet Escape." Although the Chevy (and Buick!) reach-around paid product placement in the music video is pretty blatant, we think maybe they could have gone even further. As an example, we here at Jalopnik have put together the following video we've made highlighting what could have happened on the way to the GM Style event this past Saturday night below the jump. Let's look at it as a "how to" for celebs in how to give a real product placement handjob. And hey, we didn't even get paid for it — consider it a public service to publicity-seeking paparazzi-fodder everywhere. – Ray Wert More »
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Sounds like a nice way to spend an evening, dunnit? Sittin' 'round, showin' your girl your new 'Slade, tootin' a few lines off the center console, coppin' a feel or three and then you think, "Hey, why don't I show her how OnStar works? But in your booger-sugar-addled brain, you mess up the volume settings, leading the operator to summon the po-po, who, when they arrive, find your nose candy, shuttle you off to jail and seize your brand new Cadillac. Balls to you, daddy. She ain't never comin' back. [Thanks to Felix for the tip.] More »
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