So that being said, let's take a look at the best (and perhaps worst) of technologies that have been integrated into the automotive experience. Here are some of my personal favorites:
1. Bluetooth integration. Okay, I know bluetooth is kind of an old thing at this point, but bringing bluetooth to the automobile was kind of a legendary thing. Especially for safety--now nearly any new vehicle has the technology embedded within it that allows drivers to use the phone in a hands free way.
2. Cars that text. Voice to text is an up and coming technology that maybe still has a few tweaks required before it runs really smoothly. I kind of view it as being just a "Text Fail" machine (you've seen those posts else where), at least right now. But just imagine if it got as good as we are at texting (without nimble thumbs, of course). I mean, that would have to improve people's driving on the road... right? I guess we'll see!
3. Pandora Connectivity (and the Chevy "My Link" system). I am a pretty huge fan of Pandora (Songza is another favorite), and the ability to have it in my car with the menus displayed on the entertainment cluster is pretty huge. I mean, this takes radio a step beyond what satellite radio did in comparison to traditional radio. Pandora does everything satellite radio does (and more, in my opinion) and to top it all of, it's FREE. Bam. Love free. Also, quick tip: Did you know you can make a Pandora station with a comedian? Then, you can listen to hours and hours of assorted stand up comedy. Blew my mind when I found this out; you probably already know this.
Now, in order to talk about what's next in vehicle connectivity, I can't ignore the whole concept of cars that drive themselves. The industry has a goal of bringing these self-driving vehicles to the consumer market by 2020. That is only 6 years from now... which means, if they actually do it, it's going to be a big deal. Because take it from an automotive engineer, 6 years is not really a long time at all. Especially not to develop a brand new product that will ROCK the segment.
So, maybe in six years from now we'll all be sporting a ride like this one. Time will tell!
