There’s connected, and then there’s über-connected. Auto maker Chrysler is about to make the latter very real with its 2009 models as it’s announced that it will introduce a wireless Internet option, called Uconnect Web, across most of its range.
It uses Wi-Fi within the vehicle itself, and then cellular technology to access the Net. There will be a 30GB hard drive in the car, according to the LA Times, which quoted Scott Slagle, Chrysler’s senior manager of global marketing strategy, as saying:
"It’s a notion of always wanting to be connected wherever you are. There’s a demand for that."
Unsurprisingly, it’s drawn the ire of safety advocates, including many states. Jonathan Adkins, spokesman for the California Governors Highway Safety Assistant, said:
"Surfing the Web is something people really don’t have any business doing while they drive. It’s definitely a distraction."
Although Chrysler will urge drivers to be responsible, it’s possibly only a matter of time before someone is in a wreck because he tried to check his e-mail while driving.
