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CES 2013: Viper's way of starting your car with Siri
Viper, all set up in a booth on the floor of CES 2013 here in Las Vegas, is a company that makes car alarms, remote car starters and other automotive accessories. Most of the time here at CES, we TUAWers keep our sights on Apple and Mac-related booths -- we tend to stay away from the more niche areas (like automotive) unless there's good cause to go there. But we went to the Viper booth this year because we got promised one thing: We'd get shown how to start a car with Siri. Fortunately, Viper lived up to its promise. The company makes a remote car starter called SmartStart, which you can get installed in your car at pretty much any dealer that handles such things (Best Buy is probably the most common, Viper's rep told us). Once that system is installed, which costs you anywhere from US$140 or so up to around $300, depending on your vehicle, the local dealer's costs, and all of the other options, you can use Viper's free SmartStart app to control the unit in your car, which means you can pull up the app and hit buttons to lock or unlock the doors, or start the car. The app's functionality is rather impressive -- if you get the Bluetooth model starter installed in your car, it only works via Bluetooth of course, but with the official SmartStart model, the app actually works over the Internet, so anywhere you have cell phone service, the app can control and monitor your car. You could be on vacation in Italy, for example, and get a notification when the car alarm goes off, or double check that you locked the doors. While the app's functionality is very cool, the interface on the app is just plain hideous. I guess that's about as much as we could expect from a car accessory maker, but if they indeed didn't run it by a designer or two, the app would certainly benefit from doing so. But yes, you can start the car from Siri. To do so, you just say "SmartStart" into Siri, and then the app will automatically load up (as will any app you tell Siri to load), and will run one of three commands: You can choose to have it lock your doors, unlock your doors, or, yes, start your car. The Viper rep set it to start a little model car in the booth, told Siri to "SmartStart," and sure enough, when the app loaded, the little model car roared to life. Yes, if you don't need a remote starter, picking one up just to do this is probably a bit too expensive. But it's good to know that it's 2013, and if we want to, we can indeed start a car with Siri.
Viper outs SmartStart 3.0, knows where your car is and what it's up to
Viper reckons it can be your singular, all-round vehicle app judging by the considerable leap in features for version 3.0 of its Android, iOS or Blackberry SmartStart. On top of previous car lock, security and ignition controls, the aux channels now let you monkey with other parts from afar, like the sunroof, windows, stereo, AC and more. The new SmartSchedule pings you when it's time to (remotely) start 'er up, and vehicle diagnostics flag engine issues through DTC repair codes, if you drive certain models. The jazziest addition is the Directed Cloud Services which let you monitor your car's status and position through GPS, and start it, lock it, or access the other aforementioned controls -- regardless of where in the world you both are. For the true micro-manager, there's no such thing as overkill.
Switched On: Extra Sensory Perception
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. At Intel's CES 2012 press conference, the giant chipmaker justified calling thin notebook PCs "ultrabooks" by noting how the devices would increasingly be characterized by more than their thinness. The integration of sensors has become so core to the modern smartphone experience that their absence would make using such devices untenable.Most of that differentiation was based on plans to integrate the kinds of sensors that have become commonplace in smartphones and tablets, sensors that can detect location, motion, orientation and proximity. The integration of sensors has become so core to the modern smartphone experience that their absence would make using such devices untenable. Imagine if we had to manually reorient a display every time we wanted to play a game or take a photo or if we had to avoid activating a button with our cheeks when holding a phone against them.But as Switched On discussed in taking on how screen size affects form factors, what is a limitation of form factor today may not hold true tomorrow. Already, of course, smartphones can tap into remote intelligence for applications such as remote camera viewing or unlocking of doors via services from home security companies such as ADT and Vivint. From around the world, you can even remotely start a vehicle using the Viper SmartStart app. But there are increasing opportunities for smartphones to act on information from sensors that are not embedded into their shells.
Viper SmartStart app goes to 2.0, gets potentially cheaper and throws roadside assistance into the mix
About a year ago Viper got into the app game, releasing SmartStart the iPhone and allowing control of the locks, trunk, and ignition on their car. Since then Android and BlackBerry versions have trickled out, but now it's time for 2.0. What wondrous new functionality does this new major release offer? Not much, really, but it does come with one major improvement: cost. Before you were out at least $299 while the new version is said to cost as little as $199 according to the PR below, though the wording is awfully vague. PR states you can find "dealers advertising Viper SmartStart as low as $199," but under Viper's 2.0 site the MSRP is stated to be $299 -- the same as before. So, YMMV on the price cut, apparently depending on what your local dealer feels like charging, but know that whatever you pay you'll now get "Viper Motor Club" roadside assistance included. That should offer a little extra peace of mind as we enter dead battery season.
Viper Security launches SmartStart iPhone app for well-appointed whips
Jealous of the way those hipper-than-thou ZipCar people are always unlocking the doors to their rented Minis with an iPhone? We aren't either. But if you are looking to recreate that scenario with your Dodge Dart, have we got a gadget for you! If you already own a compatible Viper security system, the SmartStart module will let lock and unlock your car, arm and disarm your car alarm, pop the trunk, or fire off that panic alarm -- all from your cherished handset. There are two modules available, priced at $299 and $499, depending on which Viper system you've installed. You also need a SmartStart account which will run you $29 a year (the first year's free). But don't take our word for it -- check out the action-packed video below for a breathtaking recreation of the system's features.
