So a health boss, a GM veep and Qualcomm's big cheese walk into a bar The GSMA, which represents the world's mobile networks, tries to get people from outside the industry to give speeches at its annual Mobile World Congress shindig - preferably ones unlikely to upset anyone. This had led to an odd mix of folk from inside and outside the mobile world sharing a stage at the conference, held in …
If you are referring to GM building 4G into future cars then I would say the value would be in the integration. You can certainly do plenty of interesting things with your phone as a hotspot in the car, but having it designed in means it should be a lot more seamless (e.g. native access to sensors, simplified user experience, etc). Of course, you're right. I expect early adopters will pay for the privilege and it still requires execution on the part of GM and third parties.
Because having a 4G modem built in to the car will allow GM to snoop on all the traffic on the CAN bus, and void your warranty if you go too fast, or accelerate too hard while the engine's cold, or don't get the oil changed when you should, or drive too far with the Check Engine light on, or shut down your car if you miss a payment (or they THINK you have missed a payment), or dump the black box info on where you went (since the phone always knows where it is) and when you went there for the nice policeman (no need for a warrant, officer, we want to comply) or for the nice taxman (that's a nice road you were on, that'll be a pretty penny in road tax).
Oh wait, you asked why YOU want this - I thought you asked why THEY want this.
Hmmmm.......
Nope. I got nothin'.
You are missing the point. Government will know where your car is all the time, and it will be able to figure if you speed or run red lights soon. The Brits will drool over auto-collecting the daily London car tax ($8/day your car is in the city boundaries), and they won't need all those traffic cams and license plate detection systems!
Brave New World!
Now car's are hermetically sealing us in a mindless wasteland. Entertainments systems in the back seat ! If Hemingway were alive and riding in such a car he would rip out the unit, throw it out the window before putting a bullet to it. He'd then open a bottle of scotch, hang his arm out the window while engaging in some conversation with the car next to him. If necessary they would then pull over and settle their difference with a good honest fist fight, or if he was a she, then she might hop in the back seat, take a swig from his bottle, a puff from his cigarette, then climax their friendship before each drove their separate ways.
Its going to be a sad time for growing up as a teenager.
With the computer controlling so much of the car and soon even self driving cars, I'm not sure that I want my car connected to any networks where it can pick up some malware. Imagine saying, "Home James!" and find that the car takes you to a store for shopping instead of taking you home.
Can we build an EKG kit to feed back to a remote doctor?...Yes we can.
Can we have a nurse give advice for minor ailments over the phone?...Yes we can
Can that nurse prevent most doctor's office visits?...Yes she can
Can we educate our kids online?...Yes we can
Will it be a better education?...Yes and no. It will help self-paced learning, and supplement live teachers. It will provide class courses in science and technology. It will need discipline to get results, which means a classroom setting.
Should we try? ... Yes we should!
Same thing, isn't it?
Isn't GM very similar to Ferrari in that building cars is merely a sideline? Ferrari uses the commercial road car marketplace to fund their racing team, while GM builds horrid plastic sloth-mobiles to fund their primary purpose: health and pension plans.
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