Web on wheels: Toward Internet-enabled cars

The services provided to customers through the Internet can be extended to the automobile. Early versions of Internet-enabled cars might hit the road in five years or less. Portions of the technology could be available to customers in as little as two years as an after-sales solution. Indeed, such integration could become essential, given the constant access to information our just-in-time world seems to require. Integration could also be two-way: Your car might also provide information to the Internet for the purposes of remote diagnostics, among other things. Unlike the portable method of accessing the Internet with a laptop computer, an Internet-integrated vehicle is truly mobile. Mobility serves as both a challenge and a distinguishing factor in the design of our communication and service architecture. With the advancement of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other position-tracking technologies, location awareness emerges as a distinctive characteristic of combining mobile computing and automobiles. This knowledge will be used to build communication and service architectures. For example, a service could provide information about the nearest gas station or restaurant. A safe and easy-to-use human interface for drivers and passengers must be designed to bring Internet-based services to moving vehicles. For example, an e-mail service must not require that drivers take their eyes off the road. We employ various alternatives, such as speech-based technologies, to address safety concerns.