Product feature idea

[Lord Grey]

I write software and architect computer systems for a living, so I'm constantly thinking of new ways to combine technologies, extend the functionality of existing software, etc..

A little while ago, I was talking about the Bluetooth/USB features in the Camaro with a friend and an idea popped into my head. GM, in particular, seems to be the best-positioned company to take advantage of it (if anyone does). I have no way of passing this along directly to GM for their consideration, and don't even know if they accept unsolicited ideas (many companies have a policy against it). So, I decided to just post it here and gather some comments. If this isn't the right place, my apologies.

Given: The Camaro's Connectivity package allows you pair your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone with the car to enable hands-free calling over your phone. OnStar -- which, hardware-wise, is basically a cell phone with GPS -- is also present and activated.

Fact: When Bluetooth devices are paired and one of them wants to communicate with the other, a message is broadcast from one device to the other, requesting a dedicated communication channel. The two devices work out the details, and it's done. The other device must both be detected (that is, in range) and answer the request in a certain amount of time, or the first device will give up.

Assumption: When the Camaro starts up, it attempts to connect to the Bluetooth-enabled cell phone in your pocket. If it succeeds, it knows it can offer hands-free dialing to you.

Idea: If, during the connection attempt, the Bluetooth-enabled cell phone is not found at all -- it's out of range -- then the Camaro sends a text message to that phone via OnStar that basically says, "Hey, someone just started me" along with the car's current GPS coordinates.

Commentary: Obviously, all of that should be configurable (turn it on, off, change phone numbers, have the car look for multiple phones, etc.). If the cell phone is actually a PDA, it would be neat to have it run an application that offers you some basic choices ("Call OnStar," "Call Police," "Ignore," "Show me a map of where the hell my car is").

What do you guys think? Good idea or bad? Would you use a feature like that, if it were available?

[Croathlete]

I like the idea, but a few things to consider. Does OnStar have the ability to send out text messages? Also, there would need to be some type of security protocol to manage all these settings, especially when you're adding options such as calling the police.

Overall, I really like the idea, although it probably wouldn't be used all that often. I have heard of Bluetooth being used to unlock doors when in range and a few other neat tricks.

I've always wondered if there was a way to get ideas to companies. I guess if they made that channel available, they would be overwhelmed with submissions and probably wouldn't be worth the resources.

[Lord Grey]

There is a dirty secret about text messages: They're basically 'free' from a phone's perspective. All cell phones periodically wake up and contact a tower, and the messages that are passed back and forth at that time have an optional payload. That payload is used by the texting system. What the phone companies are overcharging you for (in the U.S.) is just the store-and-forward part of that tiny little message. At any rate, OnStar can certainly send text messages, because the cell technology requires them to adhere to that messaging protocol, and that protocol says that there can be a payload. The actual cell phone circuitry used by OnStar is probably purchased from a third party that provides the chips to a lot of other companies, so odds are, the technology is already there, just ignored.

I hear you, regarding security. But realize that the car is doing nothing more than sending a text message. The "call police" feature is something that may run on your phone/PDA, and you are in control of that. No automatic dialing of 911; that would be bad.

You could extend that whole PDA application thing is really cool ways, too. I can imagine getting into a "texting conversation" with my car, over my iPhone, where it continuously updates me with the car's current location, displayed on a map. Imagine talking the police: "Yeah, my car's been stolen. It's currently at the corner of 5th and Main. Wait, they just turned right. Can you go there, please?"

Or when you drop the car off for service and you don't hear from the shop. You call and they say, "it's up on the lift now" but you never received a message saying that they moved it from the outdoor parking spot you left it in. Or that guy takes it for a looooong test drive....

[Crowley]

Sounds like a cool idea ...

Crowley

[kdbolt70]

You are in luck, fellow software engineer. My father is a GM executive, and heads a team of MBA's who do advanced market research for new auto technologies (I'm really not making this up).

We often have chats about things GM could do better, new features, new marketing strategies, etc. While I hadn't quite offered up the idea of your car "checking" if your phone was connected, I have suggested some sort of feedback on the behavior of your vehicle via SMS, or a web interface. The latter is something I am very interested in. I envision a day where you can "log in" to your car, much like you can log in to your bank accounts at your banks website. You'd be able to get diagnostic data, set configurations (such as what phone you'd like your car to pair with), and even upload music to your car's hard drive. This could be extended to include your concept, something like "text this number if the car starts and does not pair with the phone's bluetooth".

They are working on lots of things like this, some of which I can't discuss here, and some of which my dad cannot discuss with me :p Needless to say, there are lots of cool enhancements coming soon! (assuming GM can hang on!) Heck, they were the guys that invented the key fob!

[UCF w00t]

I would like to see them use the data connection more. They wouldn't need to actually use the SMS capability from the car but rather it could be sent from the OnStar servers after receiving information via TCP/IP from the vehicle. It would be relatively easy for them to upload GPS coordinates every-so-often and have it accessible through a google maps interface on the onstar account site. This would could also be used for parental spying on teenage kids as they could upload speed, etc data as well. Once the car is connected to the internet, as it is with onstar, there's soooo many possibilities that are going untapped.

[Croathlete]

Well, since we're throwing out ideas here, how about this one.

As a senior design project back in college, I wanted to create something to replace the ancient instrument cluster. My idea was to create a customizable LCD screen. Basically, the screen would grab data from the vehicle's computer as it does now, but allow it to be a lot more dynamic.

Think of how Windows Sidebar works where you have a bunch of widgets that you can add, move around, and change the look and feel. Why not have widgets for MPH, RPM, fuel, etc. You would be able to create any type of widget for where there is information you can grab from the vehicle and make it look any way you'd like.

Of course, there would be requirements that you must have things like MPH and fuel as a required widget on any dashboard, but you would be able to build around it with anything you want.

Possibly using a USB interface, you could grab a whole bunch of dashboard either you created or downloaded from a public forum and upload them to your car where you could easily switch between different layouts. Maybe you use one just for cruising with a very minimal layout, or maybe you use one that has a lot of performance statistics that you use at the track.

This could also have some very could accessibility features. Maybe for our older group of drivers, you could have a dashboard that increases font sizes for easier readability.

These are just a few ideas floating around my head. Unfortunately, our senior design group shot down my idea as being too complex for our limited schedule. Anyway, let me know what you think or even if you have some criticisms.

[kdbolt70]

I think its a great idea, and I think we'll be seeing that more in the future. The GTR has some lcd gauges it displays, but I think the gauge cluster is still standard. But check out the 2010 Milan Hybrid gauges:

[Croathlete]

That looks amazing. I wish I could be a on a design team for something like that...

[Lord Grey]

Better communication with the car is fantastic idea. Using the DIC or the radio for programming features is basically a terrible experience, due to the limited interface. A web interface would be great.

That LCD gauge display is beautiful. Combine that with a touch-screen and you've got the feature programming aspect covered without resorting to an external device. Custom layouts would also be excellent, especially coupled with an upload/download feature.

There is an awful lot of potential in combining the computer technologies already present in the car with other prevalent technologies (web browsers, phones, PDAs, maps). The trick is finding the right combination.

I volunteer to test anything GM wants to try out!

[Croathlete]

Unfortunately, it looks like Ford is ahead of many of the manufacturers in the realm of user-to-vehicle communication with their association with Microsoft and the Sync program. I think it really lays the framework for a lot of things we're talking about here.

Hopefully GM is already planning something to rival it. Maybe something we'll see in the Volt?

[Croathlete]

This was part of Chrysler's 200C concept.

Immediately noticeable upon entry is the large screen located on the instrument panel. Starting the vehicle activates the electronic instrument panel that contains an advanced electronic vehicle information center, the next generation of Chrysler's uconnect infotainment system and a compound touch surface.

The compound touch surface is a touch screen that serves as the hub for the vehicle's connectivity system – a system that offers endless avenues of communication and transforms the interior into a portal to the outside world. It can be personalized to suit different drivers or simplified based on preference. Similar to recently introduced touch-screen electronic devices, the driver is able to move images, select infotainment choices and customize images, backgrounds, mood, volume and lighting by simply touching the screen itself.

[Lord Grey]

Originally Posted by Croathlete

Unfortunately, it looks like Ford is ahead of many of the manufacturers in the realm of user-to-vehicle communication with their association with Microsoft and the Sync program. I think it really lays the framework for a lot of things we're talking about here.

Hopefully GM is already planning something to rival it. Maybe something we'll see in the Volt?

I hope GM's version is better than Ford's/Microsoft's. I have heard less-than-stellar reviews of Sync, from people who actually try to use it. It all comes down to not only having good ideas, but implementing them correctly and in a useful way as well.

Sudden second thoughts on an LCD-driven gauge pack: What if it dies? That is where you would actually want either discreet components (where one failure doesn't take out the whole thing), or simpler technology to better avoid those failures.

[Croathlete]

Originally Posted by Lord Grey

Sudden second thoughts on an LCD-driven gauge pack: What if it dies? That is where you would actually want either discreet components (where one failure doesn't take out the whole thing), or simpler technology to better avoid those failures.

I'd say LCD's are pretty reliable. How often does your LCD monitor go out?

FWIW, I think this idea is pretty low-tech. The hardest part I think would be translating data from the vehicle to an animation on the widget. People who create widgets for desktops do this all the time for different functions (ie CPU meter/gauge). The technology here is used and proven already, it's just implementing it in a different way.