New Technology Emerging in Vehicles

What’s the difference between a Chevrolet and a smartphone?  Apart from the engine, wheels, seats, larger size, and thrill-ride, there’s not much.  2015 Chevys will be nearly indistinguishable from a smartphone or computer tablets.  General Motors is announcing that next year’s line-up will be available with a built-in LTE and an app store.

The Chevrolet AppShop is the end result.  AppShop looks and feels like an iOS App Store or Google Play, presenting a list of available apps that’s called upon by tapping an icon on the car’s touchscreen.  Downloaded apps can be updated automatically, rearranged on the home screen, and deleted at will.  So far roughly a dozen apps have been announced so far and there will be more announced in the coming years, but GM stated they don’t plan to release a ton of apps.

“We recognize that there are some things that are really beneficial either to the driving experience or the ownership experience,” says Tim Nixon, CTO of GM’s Global Connected Consumer division.

Apps that have been announced so far include The Weather Channel, Slacker Radio, and NPR, among others; by the end of the year, GM expects to launch a Vehicle Health app that will give the driver a detailed view of the car's diagnostics and let them schedule a service appointment through the dashboard.  The initial testing models are pretty slow to respond, but this could improve as they continue to tweak it.

GM is heavily curating the AppShop catalog so developers can’t independently push new apps without GM’s approval to prevent increasing complexity of the dashboard that would cause unsafe and distracted driving.  Available features like text-to-voice help keeps eyes on the road and off the touchscreen and apps will also have the capability to change modes when the car starts moving such as transitioning to a view with less text, bigger buttons, and the automatic disabling of more complex features.

The LTE features aren’t fully revealed yet, but it’s likely the AppShop will be able to sign up through AT&T either as a new customer or by adding a vehicle data plan.  Existing Bluetooth technology could allow you to connect a smartphone to the vehicle screen for connectivity, but it is likely that won’t be available as AT&T would be missing out on an additional revenue stream.

AppShop and LTE connectivity with first launch on the 2015 Corvette, Malibu, Impala, and Volt and followed by a wider rollout toward the end of the year.  

What do you think about the new technology being implemented in Chevrolet and in the near future likely making its way into other vehicles?  Is this the beginning of new technology in cars in the future?  Let us know and stay tuned to The ANE Show by following us on Twitter @TheANEShow or by “Liking” us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/theaneshow and be sure to tune in every Saturday at 9am on 1190 AM KFXR in Dallas or on iHeart Radio!

The ANE Show Provides Laughs Water Cooler Style

Last Saturday’s radio show was filled with fun as the cast of The ANE Show which can be heard every Saturday morning at 9:00 am on Clear Channel Radio’s 1190 AM.  The show began with New Year’s Eve stories of the cast, and quickly ran into crazy New Year’s Eve stories of the past.  Longtime listener Wayne Bates shared, “I love listening to the show because I feel like I am in the room listening to friend’s stories and laugh as hard as they do.”

The show is not your typical radio talk show.  There is a definite purpose to the hour long program.  The ANE Show which stands for “Automotive, News, and Entertainment” provides information for consumers and dealerships alike helping listeners find the right vehicle for their needs.  However, the show doesn’t take the typical approach to just providing the same information about the automotive industry every week.  The cast which is made up of Jim “Doc” Proctor (General Manager of Dodge City of McKinney), Jeff “Bubba” Thompson, Josh “The Guru” Deaton, James “The Spin Doctor” Schaefer, Paul “The Coolest Guy in Dallas” Salfen, and the beautiful Jennifer Reed also discuss today’s news and entertainment.  The “Doc” and “Bubba” have spent many years in the automotive industry helping put car buyers in the right vehicle.  They are known for providing great vehicles for fair prices, and even more for going the extra mile to make buyers happy.  “The Guru” and “Spin Doctor” created a patent-pending digital marketing company (DeliveryMaxx) that blends social media and online reputation to help any company, organization, or person that utilizes the web to share or sell their products or services.  To keep the show light and entertaining, Paul Salfen (best known for hosting the Drew Pearson Show) and actress/model Jennifer Reed talk about there every day encounters with radio, TV, and movie stars.

Every week the show is real and entertaining.  However, listeners determine what the show discusses and has immediate access to the radio cast through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms.  For example, when the Dallas Cowboys blew a huge lead against the Green Bay Packers and lost- Listeners compared the Cowboys to some of the worse vehicles ever made.  It was truly “Water Cooler Talk” at its finest.

Nothing is filtered during the show, and it is designed to provide an hour of fun, entertainment, and relief to the listeners.

You can tune in at 9 AM every Saturday Morning to 1190 AM and follow The ANE Show on Facebook to be part of the conversation.  Just write your questions or comments into the timeline and hear how the cast responds.