Chrysler is working to keep you connected even when you’re
on the road. Cnet.com revealed that the
auto company is teaming up with Sprint to bring the new UConnect Access system
to two of the hottest cars of the year, the 2013 Ram 1500 and the SRT
Viper.
Uconnect in its current form brings drivers a host of
features already. Hands-free phone,
navigation system, digital audio, and it’s all tied into a single touchscreen
interface. UConnect Access is the next
step in the evolution of the system.
So what’s new? You
can now operate the rear view mirror frame with just the press of a
button. Get into an emergency and you’re
just another press away from assistance.
You can even synch up your smartphone with your car via an app that will
let you unlock the doors or even start up the engine. Don’t get too worried about focusing on your
phone too much when driving. Seriously,
seems like we’re not far away from driving around using our phones as
remotes.
UConnect Access will read out your text messages out
loud. You can respond back by just
voicing out your text, causing me to wonder why you haven’t just called the
person, but oh well. It’s a great way to
work against distracted texting drivers; I can’t help but think of the hilarity
possible in some awkward texts. Last
thing I need to do while driving my parents to the store is explaining the
context behind the things my friends send me.
How does Sprint fit into this? The service they are launching will be called
Velocity. It is described as a “end to
end solution” and is going to offer the companies like Chrysler “a data
connection, human-machine interface expertise for in-car electronics, and
telematics services.”
Velocity works on Sprint’s 3G network. The phone company is already looking into
implementing the service on an international scale. To achieve that goal, the car makers will need
to start putting cell radios in the cars so it works across borders in other
countries.
