Chevrolet and OnStar announce in-car 4G LTE connectivity and curated AppShop
Chevrolet, AT&T and OnStar banded together yesterday at CES 2014 to offer us a glimpse of the heart of the Connected by OnStar 4G LTE infotainment offering: AppShop. The new service will feature a curated collection of HTML5 apps -- read: So if you're driving in the sticks and are out of cell range, your apps mostly won't work -- focused on music, weather, news and vehicle telematics all connected via AT&T's LTE network. All cars that include the OnStar 4G LTE service will also feature a WiFi access point built into the car with support for up to seven devices -- taking advantage of the same AT&T LTE link, though, still no word on the data service's pricing.
We had a peek at an AppShop-equipped Impala and were most impressed with its Vehicle Health app, which shows any issues with your car from "oil health" to tire pressures. Think of it as a usable replacement for the "Check Engine" light seen on most car's dashboards, but rather than simply blinking orange it translates the error into something a tad more user friendly. Aside from car health and warnings the app enables the driver to schedule an appointment for service without having to pick up the phone. For example, by simply selecting your preferred dealership and then clicking on a date in the calendar-like display you're then presented with AM or PM time slots, and available time in either. Chevrolet's AppShop will initially be offered in its Canadian and US MyLink-equipped 2015 model-year Corvette, Impala, Equinox, Volt, Malibu, Silverado and Silverado HD. Follow our tour in the short video below.
Billy Steele contributed to this report
