The summer push to engage families or business executives to make their most of the time in the car has begun, increasing the connectivity functions in the automobile.
Autonet Mobile is now available from Amazon.com’s Electronics store. The service provides Internet connectivity in the car, promising to turn your automobile into a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot. It’s also available as an option on Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles and on a Cadillac and Volkswagen model.
Autonet Mobile says its technology allows for uninterrupted connectivity while the car is moving. Its router, which is installed in the trunk or the cargo area of your car, runs over both 3G and 2.5G cellular data networks to provide broadband speed “even when you are traveling between cell towers, through tunnels and in areas of poor signal.” It promises coverage over most of the country, including parts of Alaska and Hawaii.
With the monthly service, passengers can use their Wi-Fi devices such as laptops, netbooks, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, iPod iTouch or iPhone and other devices in the car. This means children in the back seat can IM or visit Facebook, YouTube or Webkinz while a parent in the passenger seat checks traffic, weather and the latest score or listens to sports on Internet radio, according to the company.
The move follows the launch this month of AT&T CruiseCast which provides consumers with 42 channels of satellite TV and satellite radio on your existing rear-seat entertainment system.
Terrestrial radio doesn’t even register on these announcements, another reason to distribute your programming on multiple platforms and make sure your station is streaming.
