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Chevrolet to offer unlimited data plan with cars

bbc.com

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Re: Chevrolet to offer unlimited data plan with cars

#21

Post by _audakel »

chrisper wrote: post #10
jameskilton wrote: post #8

I recently picked up a Volt which includes this OnStar 4G setup and have to say I'm extremely concerned at how quickly this "my car is on the internet" feature set is spreading. Everything is managed by OnStar through their device that's factory installed into every new Chevy vehicle. They have had security breaches and had to fix white-hat reported vulnerabilities in the past[1]. This system isn't just "4G wifi as a…

Stuff like this has been around forever. I once drove a 2007 BMW 7 series which let me unlock/lock my car from my phone. I also got weather data etc. on my dash. Now it is finally making it to normal cars. My 2014 Passat has it as well. However, I didn't activate it since it is tracking my location. On the other hand, stuff like Onstar can save lives. http://www.mercurynews.com/2014/10/14/san-jose-mount-hamilto...

tl;dr of mercurynews: A 28-year-old Campbell woman who spent the night at the bottom of a 500-foot ravine after veering off Mount Hamilton Road was rescued Tuesday morning and flown to a hospital to be treated for her injuries. The General Motors’ OnStar system and Apple’s Find My iPhone service determined users’ location.

Re: Chevrolet to offer unlimited data plan with cars

#22

Post by beamatronic »

nradov wrote: post #15
beamatronic wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think having an always-connected car would be really useful. On certain cell phone networks, such as Verizon's in the US, you cannot make a phone call and use data at the same time. I often take calls while in the car and find that I need access to critical data at the same time. I've considered adding a hot spot semi-permanently to the car just as a work around for this issue. Also keep in mind there are passenger…

Hasn't that limitation been removed with LTE, or is Verizon still unable to do simultaneous voice and data for some other reason? The Sprint 3G network had the same problem, which is one of the reasons I dropped them.

Huh, you may be right, for the iPhone 6 at least [1]

[1] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2468927,00.asp

"Verizon Enables Simultaneous Voice and Data for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus", September 2014

Re: Chevrolet to offer unlimited data plan with cars

#23

Post by _audakel »

mtgx wrote: post #19
jameskilton wrote: post #8

I recently picked up a Volt which includes this OnStar 4G setup and have to say I'm extremely concerned at how quickly this "my car is on the internet" feature set is spreading. Everything is managed by OnStar through their device that's factory installed into every new Chevy vehicle. They have had security breaches and had to fix white-hat reported vulnerabilities in the past[1]. This system isn't just "4G wifi as a…

I can't find the article anymore, but around 2003 or 2004 there was an article on the NYT about law enforcement using OnStar to spy on what people are talking about in the car (on the phone, etc).

maybe this? Cartapping: How Feds Have Spied On Connected Cars For 15 Years

https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/01/15/polic...

Re: Chevrolet to offer unlimited data plan with cars

#25

Post by vvanders »

tclancy wrote: post #18
jameskilton wrote: post #8

I recently picked up a Volt which includes this OnStar 4G setup and have to say I'm extremely concerned at how quickly this "my car is on the internet" feature set is spreading. Everything is managed by OnStar through their device that's factory installed into every new Chevy vehicle. They have had security breaches and had to fix white-hat reported vulnerabilities in the past[1]. This system isn't just "4G wifi as a…

Obligatory story: I bought a Camaro when the new ones first came out (2009). I ran into some issues with the radio, found out via forums I was 3 firmware versions behind and then slowly found out car dealers were ill-prepared to be software vendors. They had no idea about the radio updates and their system showed nothing for me against my VIN. This was a common enough experience across the country that one of the cod…

Yowza. I don't see how all mfgrs don't move to Tesla's update model. Knowing how things go it'll probably be 10 years before we're there.

Re: Chevrolet to offer unlimited data plan with cars

#26

Post by in_the_sticks »

nradov wrote: post #17

So can you just leave your car's electrical system turned on in your garage and use that to provide unlimited Internet service for the whole house when you're not driving?

Sure. I suspect the expense of new car batteries and the inconvenience of having them run down twice a day or so might make it a less optimal choice than just buying internet service.

Re: Chevrolet to offer unlimited data plan with cars

#27

Post by massysett »

Do their cars come with decent in-car entertainment that can actually use the Internet?

When I got my new 2016 Honda Accord I was looking forward to some good streaming music in the car. I read that the built-in stereo comes with Pandora. I also knew that the built-in stereo can also access the Internet. "Cool," I thought. "I can fire up the hotspot on my phone, connect the car to the Internet, then the Pandora will connect and do its thing."

Nope. Turns out that the stereo can connect to the Internet. It's got Android. But the most useful thing I can do is browse the Web on my car stereo screen. Something I have never, ever wanted to do. Apparently it also connects to some useless thing called Aha Radio, which hasn't been updated in years. The Pandora can't even use the Internet connection! It only works through Bluetooth or, apparently, though hooking up my phone via a cable.

So the stereo's Internet connection is practically useless, and my only streaming options work through the phone, which is generally a glitchy experience. Though I must say, the Pandora built in to the car is generally better than Apple CarPlay, which has been a huge disappointment.

So hopefully Chevy has something decent in their car other than an Android web browser on the car screen, and hopefully it's not just Apple CarPlay or Android Auto or anything like them, because in my experience the phone makers are all about stripping away hardware buttons. When I'm driving the hardware buttons are far superior to finicky on-screen buttons.

Re: Chevrolet to offer unlimited data plan with cars

#28

Post by myowncrapulence »

h4waii wrote: post #14
myowncrapulence wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of people can't afford their cars and buy with credit. Something you can't really do on phone plans. Also, this way you can add another middle man that makes money data-mining your browsing habits.

Huh? Most people in North America (who can't afford phones) lease-to-own their phones. They pay for it in a monthly rolled up price, and at the end of their contract they own the device outright, obviously with all caveats surrounding leasing any asset.

I'm talking about the monthly data, not the phone.

Re: Chevrolet to offer unlimited data plan with cars

#30

Post by chc »

tclancy wrote: post #18
jameskilton wrote: post #8

I recently picked up a Volt which includes this OnStar 4G setup and have to say I'm extremely concerned at how quickly this "my car is on the internet" feature set is spreading. Everything is managed by OnStar through their device that's factory installed into every new Chevy vehicle. They have had security breaches and had to fix white-hat reported vulnerabilities in the past[1]. This system isn't just "4G wifi as a…

Obligatory story: I bought a Camaro when the new ones first came out (2009). I ran into some issues with the radio, found out via forums I was 3 firmware versions behind and then slowly found out car dealers were ill-prepared to be software vendors. They had no idea about the radio updates and their system showed nothing for me against my VIN. This was a common enough experience across the country that one of the cod…

I suspect the driver door isn't a special toggle and is instead just an easy way to trigger a transition to a known state.
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