New key fob from GM a supercomputer
USA Today is reporting that General Motors will introduce a new key fob next April that makes your current controller look like a batter-powered key. The new fob wil feature an LCD display so that your vehicle can actually communicate things to you like the ' tire pressure, the odometer reading, how much fuel's in the tank, etc. You can also change the stereo's radio settings remotely and start the car with the fob if you've opted for GM's remote start package. Oh yeah, it'll unlock the doors, too. GM has jacked up the operating range of the fob by a factor of six so you can even pick up its signal in Ann Taylor while waiting for your wife/girlfriend to finish trying on turtlenecks (or is that just me?). The best part about the new key fob is its price: $150. That's not too shabby considering what it will do. The fob will initially be an option on the Cadillac Escalade and other pickups and SUVs across the automaker's brands. GM also promises it will cost less than $100 to replace if it were lost or broken. It has, however, been thoroughly tested to withstand the rigors of even the harshest daily routines, so durability shouldn't be a problem. Now if they'd only throw in 4GB of flash memory and let me hook it up to iTunes...
[Source: USA Today via Winding Road]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
zeeboo 2:31PM (11/15/2006)
When will GM get some design engineers working for them? That fob is still ghastly. I remember seeing a blurb on how fobs are almost like a designer accessory. You want to take it out and lay it on the table.
That? I think I would keep it hidden in my pocket. YUK!
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Jeff Crew 2:41PM (11/15/2006)
That is a cool and smart idea. Good job GM!
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Abraham 2:43PM (11/15/2006)
2 way remotes are nothing new at all.
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sfast 2:45PM (11/15/2006)
What the hell? My wife has an astra system on our Mazda 3. Her fob has a screen on it and it tells you if the car is locked or not. But the fob is massive. It runs through an AAA battery every month or so. That sucks because she has to carry a extra battery around all of the time. Yeah, changing it out is easy, but if she didn't have an extra on here she would have to drive to the store with the alarm sounding the whole time. Kind of stupid.
Now is GM above this kind of stupid?
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Maxzillian 2:53PM (11/15/2006)
Definitely something I wish I could adapt over to my mid 80s car. It's just amazing what they've manage to pack into small platforms lately.
Now if it just monitored G-forces, it'd be a useful bragging tool for the bar side automotive talks. ;)
As for the looks... who gives a toot? I can't see myself wearing my car keys around my neck and I don't imagine any passengers will be looking down their noses at the "atrocity" hanging from the ignition switch.
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kballs 2:57PM (11/15/2006)
And why exactly do we need this type of information from outside the vehicle? What problem does it solve? Why can't you get this information from the dashboard? If you're going to put gas in it, put air in the tires, take it for service, etc. then you're going to need to go to the car anyway, in which case you can look at the dash.
This really just looks like a proprietary way to control the stereo from outside the vehicle when you're camping, tailgating, etc.
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guess 3:15PM (11/15/2006)
Holy crap! It unlocks the doors?!?!
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SilverAero 3:20PM (11/15/2006)
Wonderful a car tamagotchi... wonder if you can kill it.
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Ari 3:25PM (11/15/2006)
I can think of only one useful application for this. If I'm in my house in the winter and I want to make sure my car starts remotely, I assume that it will tell me. Otherwise, I wouldn't need it.
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Chris 3:25PM (11/15/2006)
It's got an antenna! You have to be f***in' kidding me. Nothing but cheap cell phones have antennas nowadays.
I don't need to know the tire pressure from my key-fob, nor do I need to change the radio station. Why do American car manufactures have to make something that will do everything when they can't build something that will do one thing well?
Stupid GM! Using money on the R&D of these sorts of things aren't going to fix your legacy cost and health care problems.
Speaking of fashion accessories, the Infiniti key-fobs are sexy...and they do what a key is supposed to do.
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ckm 3:37PM (11/15/2006)
Boy, that's a stupid design.
Why did they put an antenna on it? That pretty much means that if you have this in your pocket, there is every chance it will stick you when you sit down. I'm about to get a new phone for this very reason.
Audi and Jaguar have it right with smooth surfaces, this is just all wrong, pointed at both ends.
Chris.
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DriftPunch 3:37PM (11/15/2006)
This is another gimmick, but will probably be well recieved. Needed? Nope! But consider how many other useless things are in cars today: we call them luxuries. The primary benefit of this is gathering information on your car while in the comfort of your home. Not everyone is a gearhead, and can barf up all the vital stats & fluid levels of their cars upon request.
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smj 3:50PM (11/15/2006)
So if you're in Ann Taylor and you accidentally hit the unlock button, you won't know because you won't hear the chirp or see the flashing blinkers. So there your car sits, unlocked for the world to gain easy access. I assume the fob will indicate locked/unlocked, but I sure don't want to pick up the habit of checking my fob every so often to make sure my car is locked!
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jow 3:55PM (11/15/2006)
Wow...I've rarely heard so much carping and sour grapes...It's like the point has been completely missed. This is a step forward in technology. And despite what the others may or may not have this fob has pushed the envelope beyond what other auto manufacturers have produced or contemplated. If Gen1 of this fob needs a sexier shape or a smaller antenna or smoother surfaces or better battery life or uses that are more practical then so be it but don't shoot this one down before it gets off the ground. Speaking for all of us that are glad we still don't have square phones with round dials sitting on our desks I'm glad GM put this fob out and say attaboy. Frankly, I like technology and want more of it.
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steven 4:05PM (11/15/2006)
Another GM product that will be RECALLED!!!!!!
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Mike-in-Orange 4:15PM (11/15/2006)
What GM should really concentrate on is making an interior out of materials that a human would actually want to touch. Seriously, GM interiors are the cheapest, ugliest crap on the market.....but golly gee they have electronic multi display key fobs! Morons.
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CJ 4:21PM (11/15/2006)
I like the thinking behind it, and that it's an OPTION. Cuz, although I think it's neat, I hate fobs. I love the cars that have the fobs integrated into the key (and smallish). I don't need anymore cr*p on my keychain, but if you got the room and want the info, it's a neat little gadget. Can the car beam info to my Palm instead?
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Typesbad 4:30PM (11/15/2006)
I'can't see anything on this feature that I really would have a use for. But then my quasi-luxury car has a lot of things I didn't have any use for...until I used them. now I really don't want to go without them on the next car.
Probably the best thing here is that it is an "Isn't this cool?" item owners can show off to their freinds, and lets face it, GM vehicles need plenty more of that, useful or not.
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starlightmica 4:36PM (11/15/2006)
Antenna? Tire pressure gauge? Cigarette lighter? USB port? Sex toy with an RPM readout?
Whatever that protrusion is, all it would do is dig a hole in my slacks. No thanks!
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UH2L 4:48PM (11/15/2006)
Some of you critics are ridiculous, probably just lacking in the self-esteem department. Just because it's from GM, you rip on it. If Lexus had it, you would say, why can't GM come up with something like this? I can think of many reasons why this is useful...
- You don't remember if you locked your doors. (This remote will confirm for you whether you did or not)
- It will tell you before you leave that you need to fill gas so that you leave earlier and don't become late.
- It will tell you if your tires are low on air, (or if you got a flat) which is something you need to know before you take a drive.
- It will tell you while it's happening that your vehicle is being broken into or is being driven away by a thief.
- It's nice to know that your remote start command successfully went through.
- It's good to enter into a warm or cool car playing the music you want to hear.
- Extended range is a good thing when you have confirmation of what's going on.
Sure it doesn't look the best, but with that much range and with electronics and power supply that small, there's probably no way around needing an antenna. And I'm sure there will be safeguards so that you don't start your car accidentally or unlock your car doors accidentally.
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