Nice OnStar article courtesy of GMdude2 at RB. I especially liked the author's "habit" comment at the end of the ninth paragraph.
boston.com
By Michelle Krebs, 10/18/2001
I was extremely skeptical last fall when automobile manufacturers began showing off their vehicles with Internet access. My car is my sanctuary - away from work, phones, household chores and demanding children. It is where I can drift into deep thought, listen uninterrupted to my favorite CD - or just drive.
But now along comes a truly useful service. General Motors OnStar has added real-time traffic reports to its communications service. The traffic reports were piloted this summer in Phoenix, San Francisco, and in Detroit, where I tested it for a week. The system proved simple to operate and extremely useful, though some improvements, apparently already in the works, will make it better.
To hear traffic reports, I simply pushed the button on the dashboard to connect to OnStar's Virtual Advisor. A friendly female voice came over the audio system asking how she could help. ''Virtual Advisor,'' I responded. (OnStar officials had given me a cheat sheet listing various commands.)
Following a few seconds of silence, the voice returned to say the connection with Virtual Advisor had been made. (Only once during the week did it deny my access because it couldn't find my records, or something.) The voice listed the information available, e-mail, stock quotes, sports scores, news headlines. Users can tailor the information they want to hear on a regular basis by logging onto www.myonstar.com.
If I said nothing, the voice ran through the information. I couldn't interrupt her midsentence, but when she paused, I could request the specific information I wanted, such as ''get traffic report.''
A male voice - clearly generated by a machine - then ran down a list of sites where traffic was slow because of construction or accidents. OnStar located my vehicle's location by using global positioning satellites. The traffic information comes from Tele Atlas North America (formerly Etak Inc.) of Menlo Park, Calif., which provides traffic information for most US cities and maps for vehicle navigation systems. The information is updated as soon as a traffic slowdown arises. The vehicle owner can change the range of the traffic reports given by logging on to the OnStar Web site. For my test drive, the traffic report was given for a 15-mile radius.
During my week with OnStar, I was informed of the same six construction sites every day and told of their far-off completion dates. Most sites had orange barrels up through the summer, so I was familiar with them, but one I was unaware of. Virtual Advisor told me of a new construction project in an area I frequently travel. Knowing it was closed allowed me time to figure out an alternate route and save time.
Returning from lunch in downtown Detroit, I checked the report again. Since I was in a different region, Virtual Advisor gave me a new list of local construction sites. My various routes out of the city were clear. However, had I been heading west on the main highway, I would have avoided heavy congestion due to a serious accident which had closed down one of the exits.
One weekend afternoon, I set out to visit friends. The traffic report let me know my usual route was under construction, allowing me time to plan an alternate one. By the end of the week, I had made a habit after starting the vehicle to push the Virtual Advisor button before I left my driveway.
OnStar officials say they plan improvements to the system as a result of initial pilot programs. Among the amendments is listing traffic situations in order of priority; accidents first, followed by long-term construction projects. The traffic reports are included in OnStar's Virtual Advisor subscription fee of $399 a year or $34.95 a month. The cellular minutes required to connect to Virtual Advisor cost extra.
Since its three-city pilot, OnStar traffic reports have expanded to a dozen more cities, including Boston, Washington, D.C. and New York City. It will be in 68 cities in the next couple of months. |
