Smartphone Cars Are the Future

What’s the Latest Development?

Automakers want to integrate your smartphone into their latest models, making the car another device that will keep you connected to the Internet. Many advances the auto industry sought to pioneer, such as GPS and video display monitors, have already progressed further and faster through smartphone technology. But for every added feature, engineers must install a safety device to prevent you from smashing into things while you enjoy a phone call or YouTube video.

What’s the Big Idea?

The emerging theme at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where auto companies are displaying their innovations, is connectivity. In the near future, thermostats will be wired to data collected from the electricity grid; refrigerators, to online supermarket ordering systems; cars, to smartphones and TVs, to the Internet. Car makers say the groundwork for automated driving systems already exists, making the imperative to create an entertaining car an idea that is more practical than dangerous.

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