Chrysler's $499 Uconnect Web in-car EV-DO system coming this month

Wait, wait. Something that was promised for next year is arriving... this year? Be still our hearts! Chrysler will reportedly offer up its in-car EV-DO solution (dubbed Uconnect Web) starting on August 25th, and owners of 2009 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles (along with a few "earlier models") will be able to have the $499 box retrofitted into their rides. Apparently the auto maker isn't planning to install the units directly at the factory, so those who want it will be forced to pay an additional $35 to $50 installation charge, a $35 activation fee and a $29 monthly subscription fee. The service is said to provide download speeds between 400Kbps and 800Kbps with uploads hovering around 400Kbps, and provider Autonet Mobile has promised that you'll "never lose the connection." That's a pretty bold claim -- thankfully we'll be able to test it out in just a few weeks.

[Via CrunchGear, image courtesy of Flickr]

[Haikibutsu @ Aug 13th 2008 3:26AM]

But thats a jeep.

[Patriks7 @ Aug 13th 2008 5:50AM]

Jeep is an automobile marque (and registered trademark) of Chrysler.

For more info go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep

[couchpundit @ Aug 13th 2008 3:31AM]

Nothing distracting about that rig...nope...not at all....

[roycifer @ Aug 13th 2008 3:35AM]

how does the hands-free kit work with that?

[Seth Levy @ Aug 13th 2008 3:41AM]

Chrysler owns Jeep and Jeep uses Mopar parts... think before you speak please.

I wonder if you can buy the system without them installing it so you could put it in any vehicle...

[gustojunk @ Aug 13th 2008 3:54AM]

I guess in Detroit they don't know about this:
http://b2b.vzw.com/broadband/bbapccard.html

Why would a user want to limit wireless access to a wired box in the car?
I guess they know their customers, these are after all the same people who by Chrysler cars...

Hey I have an idea! what about getting in-home-EVDO. So I can wire a box to my desk, and they also wire my laptop to that box. It's just like home broadband but wireless, so that's good right?

This is sad, very sad.

[happy_penguin @ Aug 13th 2008 6:24AM]

Check the article. This device is designed specifcally for use while in motion. PC card and USB adaptors generally assume you are motionless. True it's expensive but if the idea catches on this will likely become more affordable.

[Some_Random_Guy @ Aug 13th 2008 4:00AM]

And where do you put the mouse pad?

[tom @ Aug 13th 2008 9:28AM]

I am hoping there will be a trackball or trackpoint kinda thing on the steering wheel

[conor @ Aug 13th 2008 6:51PM]

next article about nokia oled phones

[Pastry Chef @ Aug 13th 2008 4:25AM]

It's easier just to get a tethering app for your phone and a car charger for that phone.

[Kapara @ Aug 13th 2008 4:39AM]

Why pay a ton of money for that and be limited to your car. I bought a Linksys WRT54G3G-ST (Wireless-G Router for Mobile Broadband) slap my sprint EVDO card into it. Have it wired into my trunk so whenever I turn on the car voila!!!! And I only paid $130 for the device. $50 a month for the service but at least I am not restricted to my car only. And it is Rev. A When I need it in my laptop I just pull the card out and put it into my laptop for more mobile internet love. $499 and $29 a month isn't worth it.

[quomen @ Aug 13th 2008 5:01AM]

Yeah, I use Verizon's mobile broadband which costs about $60 dollars a month. There was 0 activation fee and the USB modem was free after rebate. I calculated that you need to use the car EVDO service for 19.5 months in order for it to be more cost effective than paying the higher monthly fee. Also, you're restricted to your car. How many un-distracted hours can you really spend on the computer when driving, and my guess is not too many. Until they fix the pricing, this is just not worth it.

[MemphisNET @ Aug 13th 2008 10:23AM]

Because the average user who wants internet in their car probably isn't tech-savy (install/config wise).

This is a good deal for your average nerd-wannabe. There are ALWAYS alternatives, for less.

[MastrCake @ Aug 13th 2008 4:51AM]

Woohoo! More car crashes and reckless drivers baby!

I wonder how many people will be pounding on their laptops yelling "SPEED UP YOU BASTARD!!!" while driving behind some random dude who is having a bad day and is to brake-check you... just because your internet was going slow! I mean, seriously, 400-800 KBps?

Well, I've had worse, but it would be nice to watch some porn doing unspeakable things while driving in front of a minivan full of little kids and behind a cop... oh wait. Never mind.

This whole internet-while-driving thing is not looking so good...

[zsyco @ Aug 13th 2008 7:49AM]

Why pay $30 a month for service when most of the people who are reading this will have cell phones that will provide those speeds already? I have an unlimited data plan already and my phone does EVDO (Sprint Mogul) so the interest that I had in this just fizzled away.

[happy_penguin @ Aug 13th 2008 7:15AM]

Because not everyone has Internet on their phone.
Because some people may want to use wifi Internet in their car.
Because this could serve many people at one time, such as you may find in a minivan.
Because this has package management specifically designed to keep your connection active while in motion.

[neofolklore @ Aug 13th 2008 7:39AM]

ANNNND you can fix all of those reasons for under $499 the end.

[happy_penguin @ Aug 13th 2008 8:07AM]

Okay, how does the average person do this? Not everyone knows how to hack hardware into something like this does and the price will come down if it becomes popular. THE END

[zsyco @ Aug 13th 2008 8:17AM]

I took too long to send the post that I was typing so this one is going to be quick:

Because not everyone has Internet on their phone.- Good point, but, I stated that most people reading about this will be the type of people who would have internet access on a cell phone.

Because some people may want to use wifi Internet in their car.- If your phone connects to the internet, you've got wifi internet in your car (and anywhere else you get coverage)

Because this could serve many people at one time, such as you may find in a minivan.- Connect a laptop to the phone and use ICS, all are happy. Better yet, run server on the laptop and have a rolling domain. I don't typically need to serve a crowd on the road, but, I'll accept this as a good point anyway.

Because this has package management specifically designed to keep your connection active while in motion.- They're using the same towers the EVDO phone is using and the tech they're talking about is unlikely to prevent you from losing connection. If you're not covered, you're not covered. What they are doing is making it look like you don't loose connection with cached data. When you get your link back it hits the car. Chances are it will have a slightly better connection if they decide to hook it up to an external antenna, but, if they honestly want people to believe that they will NEVER loose connectivity, they are sadly mistaken.

[Tovock @ Aug 13th 2008 8:29AM]

Happy_penguin its very simple and can be done reasonably cheap. All it requires is a PCMCI/USB EV-DO Wireless router an evdo card or usb dongle and a power inverter for 12vdc cigarette lighter to 120ac. Done. There is a company that sells such router though i forgot the name

[happy_penguin @ Aug 13th 2008 8:49AM]

I am not saying that this is a "good deal" or that it is cheap. I am not saying that there are not other solutions to get internet in your car. I am saying that I understand what this is intended to do and if it is able to do it well, it could be very good. If the price comes down it could become popular. Read the article. The explanation of why this is application specific is in the last paragraph. Now let's see how well it works instead of making assumptions.

[zsyco @ Aug 13th 2008 9:25AM]

This is made for people who don't know there are better / less expensive solutions out there. Or those people who don't want to deal with the tech and would rather spend the $$. Either way, it's not the best solution but it is a solution, you're right on that point. Now, if they tightly integrate this with the MyGig system that would be outstanding. Getting live updates on the GPS would be a seller for me.

[wcnghj @ Aug 13th 2008 7:36AM]

Oh yes, "never lose the connection."

I will loose the connection everywhere there is no cell service...

[derekwf @ Aug 13th 2008 1:15PM]

You better tighten that connection up!

[dosguy @ Aug 13th 2008 7:57AM]

Seriously, how f**king stupid are we becoming in this country? Anyone who uses this device while their car is moving should have their driving privilege and their Internet access privilege revoked. For life!

[happy_penguin @ Aug 13th 2008 8:11AM]

Where is it stated that this is intended for use by someone who is driving? Why can't a passenger use this while the car is moving?

[Brian @ Aug 13th 2008 9:05AM]

Because the laptop is aimed at the driver's seat in the illustration... We need less distractions in cars, not more...

[Tovock @ Aug 13th 2008 8:24AM]

Wow, this is so awesome Technology that was shown at SEMA 4 years ago, so crazy.

[Tristan @ Aug 13th 2008 8:31AM]

Wouldn't you be better putting a 3G sim card in your laptop and using mobile 3G?

I mean, this'd be great for keeping kids entertained on the long journeys or tuning into net radio but I think it's quite limited for much else.

[Digital1 @ Aug 13th 2008 8:33AM]

Nice 12inch Powerbook. I want!

[VitaminCM @ Aug 13th 2008 9:24AM]

Uconnect debuts this month.
Chrysler bankrupt due to liability law suits next month.
This seems more irresponsible than installing a keggerator into the steering wheel.

[Philippe @ Aug 13th 2008 9:31AM]

Nice to block the passenger airbag from deploying effectively.

[Jason @ Aug 13th 2008 10:51AM]

Um, how exactly would someone be sitting in that passenger seat to start with?

[BerBar @ Aug 13th 2008 9:44AM]

Nice, this will help improve highway safety. Definitely much better than texting while driving.

[BerBar @ Aug 13th 2008 9:46AM]

Great, this will help improve highway safety. Definitely much better than texting.

[MemphisNET @ Aug 13th 2008 10:26AM]

The setup in the photo is probably for a government vehicle, or someone's own rig. The idea for this internet service is to get it into the car for everyone - I doubt it was intended for the driver directly. The setup from Chrysler is the modem/aircard/router and is installed into the trunk. The owner provides their own wifi gear.

[utterer @ Aug 13th 2008 2:00PM]

I can't wait until celebrities start getting these installed and driving around with them!

I predict these being the next "driving with your kid on your lap"

[Teron @ Aug 13th 2008 6:07PM]

sweet! i can finally jack-off on the run! :D

[Jim in AR @ Aug 14th 2008 1:21PM]

Well, now you can actually do something with that gas guzzling Chrysler dinosaur while it sits in your driveway.

[Trowgo @ Aug 14th 2008 6:27PM]

This gives A.S.A.P. A new meaning, not to sure this is a good idea unless your stuck in traffic or a parking lot.
What people will find the need to get this is what I'm waiting to find out. Great for the NBC dateline guys trapping child molesters is one of the few pro's to this at this time. Great for mini vans and SUV's for the kids. Storm chasers have things like this already, so it was just a matter of time. Lets hope the ones that have them use them wisely and for good reasons.

[dude @ Aug 14th 2008 7:00PM]

Why can't you just go out and buy a ram mount. ( ram-mount.com ) for about $250 and get a wireless broadband card? The price on the monthly service isn't bad but $500 plus $35-$50 installation and $35 activation sounds kind of high.

[really, really old. @ Aug 15th 2008 5:07PM]

Here, in estonia, we've had these solutions available for the last year-and-a-half or so. Ev-do/CDMA modem + linksys router + car adapters have been available for quite a while + i have even set up one. Plus, you can have wifi so you can share the connection with another car near you (if you let them). And speeds are up to 2 Mbit/s down and up to 128 Kbit/s up. Though, in real life, you can manage 100 - 800 Kbit/s down and 10-70 Kbit/s up. And the best part is, the system doesn't take up much more space than a mac mini (excluding your laptop/including if it's an eee pc). This system is nothing new.