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FTC finalizes GM punishment over driver data sharing scandal
After reaching a proposed settlement last year, the FTC has banned General Motors from sharing specific consumer data with third parties.
OnStar emergency services will be available through Alexa starting in October
The company will roll out the OnStar Guardian skill to all members in 2022.
General Motors offers OnStar Guardian to non-GM drivers
OnStar Guardian can now be used even if you drive cars from another brand.
OnStar now offers its safety features through a phone app
GM's new Guardian app brings OnStar safety features to your phone, provided you're a member.
GM offers free, limited internet access in its connected cars
GM is offering owners of its connected cars free, limited WiFi access amid the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access the network anywhere within 50 yards of the vehicle.
GM will offer free OnStar crisis support during Hurricane Dorian
As Hurricane Dorian begins crawling towards Florida's coast, automakers are doing their part to help. GM announced today that they will offer free OnStar Crisis Assist services to all owners of properly equipped Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles who live in the impacted region. The connected car platform can help those fleeing disasters with real-time directions, free calls, routing to shelter, food and water, providing an in-vehicle WiFi hot spot, booking hotel rooms and more.
GM, Tesla activate features for owners in Hurricane Florence's path
Hurricane Florence is approaching the East Coast of the US, and is predicted to bring with it catastrophic flooding, high winds, as well as a life-threatening storm surge and rain in North and South Carolina. As a result, both GM and Tesla have remotely activated features in their cars that could be of use in an evacuation. As it did last year prior to Hurricane Irma, Tesla has temporarily activated Supercharging on older cars that didn't have it enabled when they were purchased, and unlocked extra battery capacity on certain vehicles (Model S and X cars that only purchased 60kWh but have 75kWh batteries). A Tesla owner's club for the "Triangle" region has collected relevant info for potential evacuees, and said that owners should see a notification on their screen about the change. For GM, it has activated OnStar Crisis Assist for owners of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles with the feature built-in. Its representatives will handle overflow calls to the Red Cross, while pressing the button in the car will give access to people who can help with the following: Real-time routing information for those needing to evacuate or navigate disaster zones Assistance locating vital resources like hotels, gas, food, water or medical supplies Complimentary Hands Free Calling minutes in order to connect with loved ones Wi-Fi, if downloaded to the vehicle, to keep people connected and informed during the storm First responder communication so they can help locate vehicles and assist before arriving
Amazon can deliver packages to the inside of your car
Amazon Key's in-home delivery is all well and good (assuming you trust it in the first place), but there's an obvious caveat: you have to go home to get your package. Now, you might not even have to go to that trouble. Amazon has launched a Key In-Car service that, as you can guess, lets couriers deliver packages to the trunk of your vehicle as long as it's in a publicly accessible parking space. You'll need a 2015 or newer GM-made or Volvo car with an internet-savvy account (OnStar or Volvo On Call), but after that it's relatively seamless: the delivery driver requests access to your car, and you'll get a notification when the package has been dropped off and your car is relocked.
GM eyes HD mapping to boost self-driving car development
Last year, GM bought Cruise Automation, a startup focused on self-driving car technology, and now it appears the automotive giant is getting serious about creating HD maps. Cruise Automation has just announced that it's recruiting a Head of Mapping, who will "own the strategy, planning, and execution of our specialized HD maps," according to the job posting.
Chevy is the first major car company with unlimited LTE data
Chevrolet's latest OnStar LTE plan would be every smartphone user's dream, if it wasn't confined to cars. Starting March 3rd, Chevy owners can get unlimited 4G data, including an OnStar WiFi hotspot, for $20 a month, prepaid. It's apparently economies of scale that are helping Chevy lower costs. It has sold 3.1 million OnStar LTE-equipped cars, more than any other automaker, and customers streamed 4 million GB of hotspot WiFi data in 2016, double the year before.
Harman's Ignite platform helps your car talk to your house
Whether you want it or not, your car is getting smarter. Between GPS, satellite infotainment systems and cloud-based services like OnStar, automobiles are becoming increasingly connected to the world around them. Here at CES, Harman unveiled a cloud-controlled development platform that aims to be a one-stop shop for controlling all of the devices and features in and outside the vehicle.
GM will use Watson AI to recommend services on the road
Artificial intelligence isn't just being used to automate cars... it's finding a home in conventional cars, too. GM has unveiled a partnership with IBM that will see the Watson cognitive computing platform power OnStar Go, its latest in-car service offering. The AI technology will suggest stores and services based on your location, your decisions and your habits. If you're driving home from work, for example, OnStar can remind you to pick up shopping on the way back. It can also recommend restaurants when you arrive in a new city, or tell you that a store order is ready for pickup.
Chevrolet cuts in-car LTE data pricing in half
The ongoing cost of owning a new car just got a little cheaper for Chevy drivers who opted to trick out their new vehicles with 4G LTE data plans. As CNET's Roadshow reports today, the automaker has cut the rates for its in-car cellular service in half.
OnStar is helping GM plan for an autonomous-car future
General Motors has been on a tear lately. The automaker recently invested $500 million in Lyft and acquired both self-driving startup Cruise and ride-share company Sidecar. And that's all since January. But there's one thing that GM has had for years that might give it an edge over the competition: OnStar.
Verizon's Hum can turn your '97 Stratus into a connected car
If you want in on the connected car action but your vehicle is nearly as old as the internet, Verizon's new Hum service may help. It's a $15 per month plan that includes an iOS or Android smartphone app and CDMA-enabled hardware that plugs into an OBD-II port, something all 1996 and newer vehicles have. (The port is also used by Automatic Link and other apps.) The device gathers engine diagnostic data and relays warnings to a visor-mounted speaker device and the smartphone app. If something's wrong, the app can provide more info and even an estimated cost for any repairs.
OnStar hack remotely starts cars, GM working on a fix
Hacker Samy Kamkar unveiled his latest triumph this morning: OwnStar, a tiny box that acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot and intercepts commands sent from a driver's OnStar RemoteLink app, allowing an unauthorized user to locate, unlock or start the vehicle. Simply place the box somewhere in an OnStar-connected car and wait for the driver to start up the RemoteLink app within range of the vehicle. The driver's smartphone should automatically connect to OwnStar's network and, voila, the hacker now has all of the car owner's information (email, home address, final four digits on a credit card plus expiration date), and control of the car. GM has already issued one patch this morning aimed at securing the RemoteLink app, but it was unsuccessful, according to Kamkar.
GM adds real-time theft alerts to OnStar
Ring! "Hello?" Car: "It's your car." You: "My what?" Car: "I've just been stolen and have alerted the authorities." Okay, that's a call nobody wants, but GM has just added a feature to its OnStar security system that does exactly that, called "theft alarm notification." It works with appropriately equipped OnStar vehicles to contact you via text, email or phone if a bad guy activates the alarm on your GM vehicle. The feature is an add-on to GM's existing security system, which already lets OnStar advisers contact the police, track your vehicle and even slow it down or shut it off if it's safe to do so.
OnStar's new services save you money by watching how you drive
GM's cars are increasingly connected, and the automaker is coming up with some clever (if not always comforting) ways to put that data to use. Its OnStar badge has just unveiled a pair of services that promise to save you money if you're willing to share some of your driving activity. To start, it's launching an optional driver-assessment program in the US that studies your skills over 90 days and offers not only feedback, but also lower insurance rates (through Progressive) for good driving. In theory, this is a big incentive to drive responsibly, whether you're a newcomer or want to brush up on your road manners -- so long as you're fine with the car tracking your behavior, at least. You'll have to wait until the summer to give it a try, but it'll be available for all 2016 GM vehicles, most 2015 models and a handful of 2013 and 2014 cars.
AT&T says the connected car is the future of the wireless industry
Hot on the heels of AT&T's recent announcement that it would be beefing up its connected car offerings, Ralph de la Vega, who's now the chief executive of AT&T's Mobile and Business Solutions group, chaired a panel at CTIA earlier today to make the case for the internet-enabled vehicle. "The connected car will change the entire wireless industry," said de la Vega, adding that based on research by Strategy Analytics, nearly 10 million "four-wheeled smartphones" will be on the road in just a few years.
OnStar's in-car 4G LTE: fast on the highway, but still needs a tune-up
From a public relations perspective, it was a good plan: round up a handful of journalists, cram them in 4G LTE connected cars, and showcase OnStar's new network by using it to host teleconference interviews from the beach. A good plan, but one still subject to the follies of network connectivity. After spending several hours connected to GM's "Connected by OnStar 4G LTE" fleet of 2015 sedans, I can unequivocally say it's the best LTE experience I've ever had at 70 miles per hour -- but it's far from perfect.