It's safe to say that
General Motors is struggling for relevancy these days and, while the
Chevy Volt could be a huge step into the modern era for the company, that still leaves every other car looking a bit -- traditional, technology-wise.
OnStar is going to help, expanding its Volt-specific controls to the entire 2011 lineup of GM cars. When we saw OnStar's Volt app
earlier this year we loved how it not only let you control recharging but also unlock the doors and monitor system specs from anywhere. While monitoring recharging status obviously won't be much good if you're rocking a good 'ol ICE vehicle, you will still be able to start the car remotely, unlock doors, and also monitor stats like tire pressure and oil level from your iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android handset, as demonstrated in a video after the break. Yes, you'll need to be an OnStar subscriber to use the app, with rates currently starting at a somewhat steep $18.95 per month. Now, if only there were an app that could help us to afford a new ZR1.
posted July 23rd 2010 10:34AM
Sounds like a hacker's delight.
@navyasw02 One can't deny the fact that smartphones and tablets are the future.
@navyasw02 I want to see some hackers start the whole GM parking lot at once and steal all the cars then put it on youtube!!!!
@Geekelo
Well you could only turn the cars on and off, you couldn't put the car into drive or anything without the key in the ignition, so a youtube video of someone doing that would be very impressive!
@Geekelo Why would you want this to happen? Maybe I am too old now. I do not understand people wishing to see failure, evil, and negative things to happen.
I may not like GM products but GM does sell cars to lots of people. It's failure is not its products but instead its management of the corporation - its finances, unions and over promising benefits. I wish the company well and I'd like to see similar technology from other companies.
I always carry my phone and I'd love to see a secure way for me to stop having to carry a dumb-key around.
@Kevin6432 but aren't a lot of cars today push button start?
@statickeith
I'd hit her
@Kevin6432 all it takes is a hacker right?
@ChronoSapien
Yes, but they are still immobilized without the key inside of the car. I'm going to install a remote starter on my Nissan Altima with push start soon and while it can be started from the keyfob, the original iKey has to be inside of the car for the car to switch to the "On" position and let you move the shifter from park.
@navyasw02
OMG, you aren't kidding. Can you imagine, like 10 years from now, a car driving itself out of a parking lot with the owner running and screaming behind it because some 14 year old punk hacked the car from his bedroom and is now playing a real life "GTA", lol.
@navyasw02 What's the worst a hacker can do, start your car. Big deal. The engine will stop running after few minutes automatically anyway.
Im hacking mine tonight!
This works fantastically on my CTS-V... Love It!
GM is everything that's wrong with this country. Eff 'em.
@pple is poo
Being a car guy and working on cars for the better part of two decades........there is so much fail in this post that seriously I am not about to type a response since it would take at least 12 pages worth of text!!
I can't believe you just Cutlass in there..............dear god in heaven......
@mjkxxl I know you're not responding directly to me, but my criticism for GM has nothing to do with quality, and everything to do with accepting government takeover (and then of course, lying about having paid their way out of takeover).
SHE'S HOLDING IT THE WRONG WAY GUYS
@deepspacebar
LOLZ!
@deepspacebar
Yah. that thing aint gonnuh send no message to nobody's car when you hold it like dat.
ROFL
@itsallnewstuff they have a duct tape on the side of the phone ;-)
As in relevant, you mean they haven't been in the news lately like some "relevant" companies and their multi-million car recalls. But they do need voice commands like the Ford / Microsoft Sync. Voice recognition makes the most sense in the car.
What a great idea, soon I'll be flashing custom roms for my smartphone that will allow me to access any GM vehicle, how convenient!
@zole2112
You do realize the phone isn't talking directly to the car. The phone talks to OnStar who sends the data up/down to the car. It's a service and OnStar is the man in the middle. The app is basically taking the place of the OnStar call center person that presses a key to unlock your doors and the monthly diagnostic emails they send out now.
Old people can barely keep track of what day it is, let alone get a car with smartphone capability. "Irene, what button to unlock the car?" *CRASH / EXPLOSION / BAD NOISE*
and GM invents a new type of car thief. Grand Theft Hacker Auto.
@sethmo You need to enter a PIN before you unlock your doors through this app.
My brother woke up with his Chrysler car window smashed and his car radio stolen. Thieves don't need this to get into your car
This is a great feature, but I think it's stupid to expect people to pay $19/ month for it.
Like the shot of the Incredible! Such a quickly forgotten phone. Love mine though!! (shamless plug).
I would worry about security though, I hope that it is a very secure App because someone figuring out how to hack this and then be able to lock/unlock and start your car is a bit worrisome.
Also if Ford implements something at a cheaper price via Sync and some other new feature down the road......I would hope GM would come around and reduce the price, it is a bit much.
this story is obviously a lie, the girl in the photo is in a parkade, everybody knows onstar does not work in parking garages.
So all a car thief needs now is your smartphone, something that many people automatically remove from their pocket when they sit down. Smart.
Seems like an overly cheap shot at GM given just how relevant they are in today's car market. There are many things you can chastise them for, but a lack of technological achievement isn't really one of them. If achievement is measured by the number of Prius you sell or the amount of mind share you have in California then sure, they may not measure up to the Engadget standard, but if it's measured in hybrid technology, fuel cell technology, DI engines, advanced electronics, or anything else then they're right in the thick of things. Calling GM irrelevant in this sense is akin to calling MS irrelevant because Windows Mobile 6 sucks.
@Walker I couldn't agree more. Its eerie how closely engadget conforms/fits into that California category. I mean, who the fuck gets excited about the prospect of driving the volt? The shout-out to the ZR1 was nice, but seeing as they know about it (ZR1), how does (ir)relevancy come into play? That car is amazing.
Are you guys who cry insecurity saying that you have never made a secure transaction over a cellular/3g/hspa connection? What's going to happen in the worst case scenario, someone going to remote start my car, jump in and make noises like they are on a getaway? You can't even see the driver instrument cluster when remote start is activated. They wont even get to see the MPG on their pretend drive.
Why would I want to start the car if I'm not driving? To anyone else than americans this already sounds absurd since in most of the world you can't have your engine running without the key being in (or transponder, if you have a push button).
And why would you? Waste all that gas just to avoid a few moments of heat or cold until your air conditioner or heating get going?
Anyway, if this takes off and people even pay another $19 for that, it's really clear they can't be helped...
@pnuding
Oh shut up and stop being butt-hurt that GM came up with this feature before the other manufactures. You need to let your car warm up in the winter in the northern United States or else you may damage it.
@pnuding
Someone's just jealous that they don't have remote start.
It's the best thing since sliced bread.
@Peter F
You're telling someone to shut up when you don't even know what you're talking about?
An engine block heater is the proper way to 'warm' your engine. Idling a car can be a ticketable offense depending on the municipality and state law, and it pollutes far worse than using electricity.
@worldspawn That's bullshit, an engine block heater isn't going to defrost the snow off your windshield. If you are so inclined to save energy, I suggest you bust out some rubbing alcohol and a decent sized torch to your windshield - but I get the idea that you don't live in a cold climate. Do it anyway, take pics - jump on the fire - have your friends take vids. It'll be awesome.
@Blades
1) Search for a place called Nipissing. North enough for you?
2) My suggestion has nothing to do with saving energy. I was comment had to do with CO2 emissions.
3) Who parks their car outside in a winter enviroment? If they don't have a garage, it'd be probably best investing in one.
At first I thought "smartphone control over entire 2011 GM lineup" meant the lady in the picture was starting up a whole row of cars.
she holds it wrong. it won't work.
Sounds like OnStar will be laying off a bunch of service reps in the next couple of years. With smartphones becoming more ubiquitous and the entire line-up supporting this feature in the upcoming model year, it seems that there won't be nearly as many of them needed as before.
Also, if they intend to charge such rates for the service while their overhead expenses go down from the slimmer staff on hand, OnStar may see overall profits rise significantly in the next few years. Could be interesting.
Oh! goodie, now hackers and car thieves will join forces... many a hipster can add to the TCO of an Iphone the price of their stolen vehicles :S
OnStar is Awesome. I just bought a 2011 Chevy Malibu LTZ and I use OnStar often. The hands free calling is very nice, my car has its own phone number. How crazy is that
Interesting, but I'm still not buying a GM car anytime soon.
The way she is holding the iPhoney 4 is wrong
I won't buy an American car until the unions are gone. Therefore, I'm guessing I'll never buy an American car.
Im hoping this doesnt apply to ONLY the 2011 line up, and will be available for my 2010 GMC Terrain. I can't see why it would not work.
I would be concern of anybody outside my vehicle while I driving getting into system and change any function. Imagiing going down highway and causing brakes to slame on and such. or turning engine off.
I think I'll just install a viper alarm on my '00 Ram and use the iPhone app to unlock and remote start. That'll save me from havenin to buy a chevy. I don't need an app to check fluids or to pay $18.99 or whatever a month to do so.