Suspicious spouses used to have to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars on private investigators to keep tabs on their significant other, but a new feature from General Motors' OnStar division can do it for just over a dime a day.
Microsoft, Toyota to make telematics love, birth OnStar competitor
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.
OnStar subscribers can push button for tsunami help
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.
Open Source Telematics System Lets BMW Roll with the Changes
BMW is getting a telematics ménage à trois going with Connexis LLC and WirelessCar to more or less create a future-proof telematics system. This miraculous creation is being called the Next Generation Telematics Protocol, and the purpose is to allow for new services and features to be added to a vehicle without…
Blue & Me and Fiat 500
Fiat Auto, Microsoft and components developer Magneti Marelli whipped up the "Blue & Me" system gracing the Fiat 500's furnishings (along with those of other Fiat models). The tech platform uses Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system to manage a network that integrates voice activation, steering wheel control…
Digital Destiny: BMW Drive Assist Pairs with Google Maps in Germany
Finally, BMW and Google have made that most crucial of connections between our digital and IRL lives. And that's not just more dipshit tech-hype speak. BMW announced a new system that combines Google Maps with its cellular-based Drive Assist system. BMW drivers no longer have to stop and get analog with pen and…
Right Here, Right Now: Toyota Developing Instant Mapping Nav System
Forget about updating your nav system's software every six months or whatever. Toyota's working on a system it says will provide instant mapping capability, updating roadway conditions at every startup. Using a wireless Internet connection, the system, called Map on Demand, updates info on roadway conditions,…
