@Ben: Well, it WAS a Bond film. I like the idea for this tech, but you also have to think about things like being hit by a car with no driver or having someone literly drive off with your phone.

myotheralt

@rudeadly: Are you sure, I don't think it was a numpad, I'm pretty sure it thumbstick or a touchpad. Pretty amazing tech for nearly 10 years ago! lol

Ben

@rudeadly:

was it a rotary mobile phone by any chance? steering musta been a bitch any other way.

discounteggroll

lol Sweet, just be sure to lock your iPhone before you put it in your pocket.

Ben

I remember there was a 007 film that had this concept in it... it was preeeettty ridiculous though, he was like steering and doing like drifting with the num-pad :(

rudeadly

I. *FUCKING*. Want that.

mcdonnr

ARRRGH, where did i put that damn remote.

quasimotto

It was Ericsson's JB988 from the movie "Tomorrow Never Dies.
Here's a replica of that phone: [www.yourprops.com]

HotShotNN

the bond film was tomorrow never dies and the phone was not nokia, it was an ericsson. unless they had a different phone in the US version of the film. :-)

agentsmith

@Ben: You're right, it may have been a thumbstick. Still- exactly, what a joke. That's right TBartley- it was nokia. I remember the product placement was a big deal then..

I got stuck watching "the heartbreak kid" the other day... awful film, but even worse the barrage of constant brand placement.. the first line of the film has the word "great new Nike golf clubs" in it :(

rudeadly

there's gotta be some sorta subscription attached to this and huge up front cost but I would buy it. Maybe not for an 03 acura tl but when its time for a new ride.

thechansen

WANT! I remember that bond movie too, it was Nokia phone (I remember, because I wondered how much they paid for that product placement)

tbartley

and it bluetooth only.... bummer, why not via GSM, so you can do that from miles away, not just a few yards...

smokeonit

the guy that desgined the interface ought to be shot! so un-apple like... they just needed to look @ the iphone GUI and make it like that... looks like someone still in the 80s designed that delphi GUI ;-(

smokeonit

This would get the bitches sooooo wet.

jamesr242

Is that the geico gecko I hear in the background?

stevehp

new carjacking method anyone ?

ssuasw

@rudeadly:

It was a Nokia 9xxx series with a modified interior with a touch wheel on it and a camera at the front of the car was streaming to the interior LCD of the phone.

Concept was right on que and filmed in a very realistic manner, for the time!

You must be drinking some sour kool-aid!!!!

TheCutSquad

@TheCutSquad: No, it was a Ericsson phone..

[www.mobilecowboys.nl]

mufasa

@jamesr242:

HAHAHAHAHA

@ssuasw:

By what means? They'd steal your phone and keys too...

It can start the car, it's can't disengage the handbrake or get it out of park. And if it did (since I didn't watch the video), doubt that would work on anything but a new car that comes with it installed.

genius74

Just more evidence our smart phones in the US will start to emulate the phones in Japan.

Start cars, open your apartment, divorce your wife, etc.

CT7

I can see sending those diagnostic codes directly to the shop before even taking it in.

Subterfuge

etc = get a girl friend? bick bucks! no whammy, no whammy, no whammy!

MPerlo9

OMG, I dropped my phone and its broke, and these thugs want me money! If I could only just drive away!!!!! Smack! Thud. Unconscious.... or worse.

axiomatic

Very cool proof of concept in my opinion.

While I would want to have the option of having a key in my pocket as a back up and the ability to disable certain features, all this does (apparently) is extend existing fob capabilities (unlock doors, remote start, open windows) and add additional features like reading the OBD. For the security part, why not just add a pass code?

Hopefully, this system includes the use of the phone's features while in the vehicle too (obviously hands free and music) but also the data plan (POIs for GPS, etc.) Of course, that could put a serious dent in the OEM telematics business...

Fogbert

Finally! An iPhone that controls Windows from your pocket!

TigerM

The other thing they need to add is a way to have GPS/directional indicators so you can find your car in the enormous parking lot when you come out of Cedar Point after a day of riding coasters/waiting in line. Or a way to tell you what level of the giant parking ramp you cars parked on.

kenyonk

I got the impression that the bluetooth connection is to the key fob. You have the key/remote similar to what been available, but through the iPhone have a lot more options and feedback from the vehicle. Without the iPhone you'd still have the regular features of the keyfob remote. And, if this works over Safari, it would probably work through other web browsers as well.

If the iPhone was connecting directly to the vehicle via Bluetooth, this would be pretty worthless, since at that point you might as well just walk over to your car anyway.

Found another article that seems to confirm, and says range could be up to a mile. That and that in theory this could send you any information your car already can track, such as fuel level, oil condition, tire pressure and as mentioned in the video, engines codes,

kenyonk

why not make it biometric enabled? it would provide some security...eh, they'll figure it out...

rmhick2

Connect2car.com has been around for a few years; They have more functionality and you can control access your car from anywhere over the cellphone network and/or via bluetooth.

aroman