GeekLimit

With the coming age of municipal wi-fi, it won't be long before Companies like Google will integrate their Local Search into location-aware vehicles. Here are a few Car-puter applications I see as being the killer mashup apps in the first 2-3 years of vehicle-integrated wi-fi.

Navigation + gas price search In this product, your car will be giving you navigation as many cars do today, but with the option of GPS or by wireless location awareness. However, by tying into the vehicle's engine control computer, the application will know how far you can go on your remaining fuel, and suggest the cheapest place to refill along your route. Now there are some caveats with this system. It should probably only make you fill up when you're below 1/4 tank or so, and there might not be a way to make sure that you're being told to fill up in a safe neighborhood. But the option is there to save you a few bucks on fuel, and to remind you when it's time to fill up.

Navigation + congestion avoidance We've seen this before. Even early navigation systems have a feature where you can tell it 'skip the next mile of my commute', and it will find a detour. However, with so much traffic data online, it would be a shame to not use this information to your benefit. With every vehicle connected, getting a real-time snapshot of current traffic conditions within a mile or so would be a snap. (this algorithm could increase the range of the forecasting depending on what types of roads are on your route…local forecast for city streets, long-range for the highways) In addition, by tying into the engine control computer, a vehicle could broadcast when its airbags are deployed, and automatically ping rescue personnel. In addition, that area could be red-flagged for everyone else to avoid, if the detour would not be too much of a time penalty. note: no personally identifiable information should be broadcasted for traffic monitoring, although you could count on the govt. eventually building a database of MAC address vs. VIN, even if they promise not to do so when the concept is launched…it's just too enticing. (Remember how long toll booths were supposed to be around?)

Navigation + Networked retail Take a home that is networked to your amazon wish list, etc., and have it alert you when someone has a deal on your stuff on the way to wherever you're going. In addition, have the car alert you to deals you've opted in to know about. Your grocery store knows you always buy tomatoes when you come in (already implemented in those 'club cards'), so come to the store on your way home and get a good deal today. Pizza place on your way home? press yes on the dash to order whatever you ordered last time, we'll give you $2 off for being a good customer, and we'll time it so it comes out of the oven as you're pulling up to the curb. Billed to your PayPal account, of course.

All of the above suggestions should most likely be done as the car is started, and after the driver has used a very easy-to-use navigation system to quickly choose from their most frequent destinations ('favorites list') They should NOT be done while in motion. Not only is it dangerous, but would put the businesses at enormous liability. However, here is one suggestion for while the car is in motion.

Feedback system + Heads Up Display Ooh, I like this one. Implement an eBay-like feedback system for other drivers. You know that guy that just drove up the shoulder, like he's too good to wait with the rest of you? point at the license plate, and the computer will allow you to give him a -1 courtesy feedback. Someone wants you to slow down and let them in, even though you're not legally bound to? Well, this one has a +200 courtesy score according to the HUD, (her details showing up automatically when she has the turn signal on), so she deserves it. Uh oh, though, an alarm just came up on the HUD of a vehicle approaching the same intersection as you. -4 accident score! Beware! The idea here is to make the person's individual score an indicator of how considerate they've been, and to penalize those who aren't. Subject to abuse, I know, so there would probably have to be some sort of mechanism where all your scores move one point towards zero every week. This would mean that you would have to be consistently good (or bad) to maintain any score. In addition, this may be an alternative to speed limits altogether. Everyone is allowed to do whatever they do, and if anyone if flagged multiple times, the police will check out the situation, since multiple random people are seeing the same thing. In addition, it wouldn't be difficult to also display on the HUD how people are ranking others. Likewise, if an account is consistently marking others down with reckless abandon, that would be something to look into, and possible penalize.

OK, Geeks, what else can you think of? Remember, demand drives innovation here, so if you can dream it, it can (and might) be built!

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