Telematics comes back on line

Interfaces will play a huge role in expected growth.

Telematics may be looked at as another failure from the dot-com era, but it is currently getting plenty of attention. Automakers and vendors are both reexamining strategies and devising new technologies that will bring the power of the Internet to the vehicle. Though predictions of huge market acceptance did not materialize in the ‘90s, many vendors feel that telematics may gain solid acceptance in the next few years. To make that happen, they are developing all kinds of approaches. Some are revamping business models (see sidebar). Others are focusing on new technologies, primarily voice recognition and Bluetooth. Those interfaces highlight a focus on making hardware and software work together under control of a human interface that makes the systems easy to use.

Many vendors are converging on the radio as the hub for all types of telematics input, whether it is advanced technology for digital radio, GPS (global positioning satellite), navigation, or getting e-mail or other information via the Web. “There's no question that the future advances in telematics is to put it in the radio. That's where we're putting all our efforts,” said Bob Schumacher, General Director of Wireless Products and Mobile Multimedia at Delphi Corp.