Connectivity

Yesterday, the internet was ablaze with talk of hackers. Why? Because Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) released a report on potential security loopholes in our cars' onboard computers, based on data provided by 16 automakers. Should you worry about your own car being hacked? Yes and no. ALSO SEE: Six...Read More»

Connected cars, like autonomous cars, are coming. In fact, connected cars will likely arrive first, because the underlying vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology is simpler, cheaper, and enhances the effectiveness of self-driving vehicles by allowing them to "talk" to other cars on the road. Given our...Read More»

Audi has attached a price to the new in-vehicle 4G LTE connectivity that will debut in the automaker's 2015 A3 sedan. Through the provider, AT&T, data plans will offer speedy 4G LTE service through AT&T, at prices of just $99 for six months or $499 for 30 months. Those two rates shake out...Read More»

The Detroit Auto Show doesn't start until next week, but car fans are already feasting on lots of great auto news thanks to the Consumer Electronics Show. One of CES' biggest announcements involves an intriguing partnership between Audi, General Motors, Honda, and Hyundai. Along with tech firms...Read More»

General Motors [NYSE:GM] has announced at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that it will be installing high-speed 4G LTE data connections—including hot-spot capability—into the majority of its Chevy vehicles within the next year, with the rest of automaker's vehicle portfolio to...Read More»

Earlier today, we discussed Ford and General Motors' impending withdrawal from Australia and the likelihood that Toyota will follow suit. All in all, the forecast looks pretty grim for the country's auto industry. Though things in the U.S. aren't nearly so bleak, there's no denying that Detroit has...Read More»

We've known for some time that apps are coming to cars. The writing's been on the wall since the debut of Apple's App Store in 2008, which is about the time that apps began taking center stage in our daily lives. The problem automakers face is making those apps work efficiently and safely...Read More»

Honda has announced a new generation of infotainment systems that will make its debut first in the all-new 2013 Honda Accord and in the refreshed 2013 Honda Crosstour, both expected later this year. And reflecting a simplified approach that we've seen increasingly in systems like Toyota's Entune or...Read More»

If you've owned a luxury car in recent years, you're familiar with the idea of a screen-based interface as a control hub for connectivity, navigation, and entertainment. But these systems—like MyLincoln Touch (Lincoln), iDrive (BMW), COMAND (Mercedes-Benz), MMI (Audi), or Remote Touch...Read More»

Yesterday, Robert Acker wrote an article for Mashable about the five things that automakers must do in order to make web-connected cars attractive to mainstream consumers. Acker's comments are insightful -- we wouldn't expect anything less from the GM of from Aha Radio -- but we have a few more...Read More»

If you drive a new or nearly new car, you could be packing just as much computing power in your vehicle as you have on your desk or in your briefcase. Plus, vehicles are more connected than ever before. And that connectivity, while it can make our vehicles better and our experience more convenient...Read More»

MINI vehicles will likely be the first on the market with audio systems capable of playing specific songs or albums on demand. The music-streaming service, called Mog, allows access to about ten million songs, and it's inking deals to expand into cars (with factory audio compatibility) and into...Read More»

With vehicles like the new Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf, the era of connected cars is upon us. That is definitely the sense we are getting from this years Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that is going on in Las Vegas this week. With everyone from Audi to OnStar making huge announcements around...Read More»

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Hyundai unveiled a new Blue Link system that will rival GM's OnStar and "will offer more than 30 unique connectivity features." Just as with OnStar, these services will be available through a rearview-mirror-mounted interface, or via the...Read More»

In the 1967 film The Graduate, Mr. McGuire pulls young Benjamin Braddock aside and offers him one word of advice about the future: "Plastics". In the upcoming remake (starring Jennifer Aniston as hot-to-trot housewife Mrs. Robinson), "plastics" could just as easily be replaced with "mobile wifi"...Read More»

In the 2011 Kia Optima, Bluetooth connectivity and USB device connectivity come standard—even on the base LX model. But if you step up to Kia's new UVO (short for YourVoice) connectivity system, you'll get a fully capable voice-control system that rivals the best systems on the market and is...Read More»

Is it time for firewalls and malware protection for your car? Almost, but not quite yet, say experts, in a top-notch report from CNET. Earlier this year we reported on research from the University of Washington and the University of California, San Diego, that showed how researchers were able to...Read More»

If you upgrade to one of today's most popular high-end smartphones—like the iPhone or a Blackberry—from a standard flip-phone, you might be surprised to find that you can no longer take advantage of some of the features in today's most technologically advanced vehicles. Even in Ford's...Read More»