Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Chrysler to Offer W-Fi "Hot-spot" Capabilities in Some Vehicles

Chrysler plans to bundle various in-vehicle consumer electronics under one umbrella name - "uconnect." The function of the feature is directly in the name - uconnect phone, uconnect tunes, uconnect gps, uconnect studios and uconnect web.

  • uconnect phone -- uses Bluetooth to provide voice-controlled wireless communication between the occupants' compatible mobile phones and the vehicle's onboard receiver. Ahands-free system automatically downloads up to 1,000 phone book entries from supported phones. The system also recognizes three languages, and is capable of learning. Voice commands can manage onboard phone book entries, select radio stations and access voice mail. Voice memos can be recorded using the microphone that's integrated within the rearview mirror. Three memos of up to thirty seconds each can be stored in the system. An iPod interface will be offered on certain cars.


  • uconnect tunes - a 30GB hard drive is provided for ripping up to 6,700 songs from CD or USB memory devices in compressed format (either MP3, AAC or WMA file formats). Movies can be displayed on the screen for entertaining passengers when the vehicle is in Park.


  • uconnect gps -- combines the features of uconnect phone and uconnect tunes with navigation and real-time traffic. The system includes an integrated voice recognition system and touch screen for easy operation. The voice recognition system also recognizes more than 100,000 words and can input addresses, which allows the customer to enter destinations while the vehicle is in motion.


  • uconnect studios -- offers SIRIUS Backseat TV, featuring three channels of family TV programming, and optional SIRIUS Satellite Radio, with more than 130 channels of the best music, entertainment and information across the U.S.


  • uconnect web -- the system will provide high-speed data transfer and flexibility, combining WiFi and cellular connectivity. The system transforms the vehicle into a "hot spot" to deliver the Internet directly to the vehicle, for instant access to Web sites, e-mail, personalized music, online gaming, photo albums, etc.
http://www.chrysler.com