NOT THE SHARPEST KNIVES IN THE DRAWER: Will Chrysler Make You Lose Your Mindshare?
New York Times reporter Randall Stross takes a dim view of a new amenity Chrysler plans to offer in its 2009 models a Wi-Fi and Internet connectivity:
[T]he entire car becomes a hotspot. The signals won’t be confined to the Nintendos in the rear seat; front-seat occupants will be able to stay online, too.
Bad idea. As drivers, we have done poorly resisting the temptation to move our eyes away from the road to check e-mail or send text messages with our cellphones. Now add laptops. …
On Chrysler’s Web site, Keefe Leung, a manager in the company’s advanced connectivity technology group, explains the rationale for the service: “People are connected in their lives everywhere today.” … But, he says, “the one place that they spend a lot of time that they’re not connected is in their vehicle, and we want to bring that to them.”
Clearly, for safety reasons, Mr. Leung cannot condone use of the service by drivers. When he is shown in the videos demonstrating the service, called UConnect, he always occupies a rear seat. …
Chrysler is the company that came up with the “living room on wheels” concept for its minivans, and Mr. Leung can’t resist talking about the Internet-connected car as “another room, an extension of your home.” It isn’t, though. At my home, the living room is stationary. But on the road, my “room” may collide with yours.
Stross is deeply skeptical that drivers will be able to resist the lure of the laptop. Hey, it’s not like it hasn’t already happened.
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