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
$19/month is a ridiculous price point.
@LANjackal $19/month is not for this app only, it includes roadside assistance, door unlock, emergency response, theft tracking and slowdown, etc.
I have it in my car and my wife's car. I feel better knowing that OnStar is in the car when my wife is driving with two kids in the car, in case of emergency.
Want!
Viper SmartStart has been doing this for a while- and has apps for both iPhone and Blackberry (and Android in the works).
Remote start let you warm up/cool down your car before you get in. It is also better to run your car for a few minutes before you start driving so the oil can be distributed where it needs to be before you put a load on the engine (or so I was told).
Once you remote start your car, you have to put the key in the ignition before you can put it in drive- so a thief cannot steal a car with your cellphone (but they could unlock it and dig through your glovebox).