WiFi on Wheels

According to this Wired article auto makers have been experimenting with the idea of web-enabled vehicles. A few excerpts from the piece:
The Japanese have had in-car connectivity since Toyota rolled out its Monet internet service in 1997. Monet was overhauled in 2002 when it was combined with Gazoo Media Services to form G-BOOK. In addition to a laundry list of vehicle targeted services, G-BOOK received a faster data link and Helpnet, Toyota’s emergency rescue service.

Honda and Nissan, not wanting to be left out, created InterNavi Club Premium and CARWINGS, while Subaru, Mazda, Daihatsu and Mitsubishi licensed G-BOOK from Toyota. The subsequent explosion of internet-enabled vehicles benefited from an advanced cellular network and a society enthralled with gadgetry.
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As for the hardware we’ll need to make all this happen, take a look at OnStar, Uconnect and the Pro edition of Toyota’s Japan-only G-BOOK for clues. They use cellular modems with associated data accounts, and customers pay as much as $30 a month. Other systems like Ford’s Sync and Toyota’s entry-level G-BOOK use Bluetooth to share the user’s personal cellphone account. Audi’s MMI (multimedia interface) web-connected nav system takes another approach, using Bluetooth to “borrow” the SIM profile of the user’s cellphone. It doesn’t require a separate fee, but it does require the customer to have a data plan and a phone on a SIM chip.
In light of all the hubbub over texting and driving you have to wonder what legislatures are going to do with this kind of technology. I can see some application for web-enabled vehicles like downloading and playing music.. maybe a bit of driving interactions with street maps.. perhaps even some voice recognition apps.. maybe even some radio-like apps that read the news to you. But searching and browsing the internet.. watching YouTube videos.. I am not seeing it.. unless you are a passenger of course.

What applications would you like to see on a web-enabled vehicle?

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