Onstar is ready to to bring its helpful technology to the masses. It's no longer required that you own a General Motors vehicle to take advantage of the Onstar services. Starting this summer, you will be able to head into your local Best Buy, hand over $299, and walk out with the OnStar FMV.
Once you fork over the initial $299, you'll also pay about $100 to have it installed. After that, you will need to pick a subscription plan, which starts at $18.95 per month or up to $199 for a full year on uninterrupted OnStar FMV service.
Those three letters mean For My Vehicle, and OnStar is bringing all its popular services to your rear-view mirror. Hands-free calling, turn-by-turn navigation, stolen vehicle location assistance and even the Automatic Crash Response system.
That last one is achieved thanks to a built-in accelerometer and internal GPS. When activated, the system will send emergency crews to your location even if you're unable to respond to an OnStar operator. It's also good for seeing just how hard your vehicle pulls away from the line.
OnStar has already found its way into 90 million vehicles, and now an entirely new customer base will have access to that little blue button. Our advice to push that number far higher? Sell them at Wal-Mart. Feel free to read the full press release after the break.
[Source: General Motors]
Once you fork over the initial $299, you'll also pay about $100 to have it installed. After that, you will need to pick a subscription plan, which starts at $18.95 per month or up to $199 for a full year on uninterrupted OnStar FMV service.
Those three letters mean For My Vehicle, and OnStar is bringing all its popular services to your rear-view mirror. Hands-free calling, turn-by-turn navigation, stolen vehicle location assistance and even the Automatic Crash Response system.
That last one is achieved thanks to a built-in accelerometer and internal GPS. When activated, the system will send emergency crews to your location even if you're unable to respond to an OnStar operator. It's also good for seeing just how hard your vehicle pulls away from the line.
OnStar has already found its way into 90 million vehicles, and now an entirely new customer base will have access to that little blue button. Our advice to push that number far higher? Sell them at Wal-Mart. Feel free to read the full press release after the break.
[Source: General Motors]
OnStar FMV: Retail Product Gets New Name and Performance Upgrade
Free external microphone provides best-in-class audio quality
2011-03-17
DETROIT – OnStar's new retail product will be called OnStar FMV and include an external microphone for best-in-class voice quality comparable to the aftermarket Bluetooth speakerphones and OnStar systems integrated into new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac cars, trucks and crossovers.
OnStar FMV, an abbreviation of For My Vehicle, will bring the industry-leading safety, security and convenience of OnStar to 90 million vehicles already on the road when it goes on sale for $299 this summer.
OnStar FMV offers the same core features that have made OnStar the most trusted and popular safety, security and communications service for more than 6 million subscribers.
Automatic Crash Response, triggered by an accelerometer in the OnStar FMV mirror, connects the vehicle to a trained OnStar emergency advisor in the event of a crash. The advisor can provide the exact location of the crash to emergency responders using the mirror's GPS location, even if the vehicle's occupants are unable to respond.
Turn-by-Turn navigation, OnStar's most-popular service, is accessible with a press of OnStar's blue button. The driver asks the advisor for directions for a specific address or location, such as a gas station or restaurant. Directions are downloaded to OnStar FMV, which provides spoken turn-by-turn instructions to the destination.
Security services include Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance, which also uses OnStar FMV's global positioning satellite location. Roadside assistance is a blue button push away. A red button is for emergency assistance or situations such as witnessing a collision or a crime in progress.
OnStar FMV provides two choices for hands-free calling: through the OnStar service itself, or through a Bluetooth connection to a mobile phone. The external microphone, which tucks neatly into the roofline or above the overhead console, gives the best-possible voice quality – while the driver keeps hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. The external microphone replaces an embedded microphone in the original design.
The roster of vehicle makes and models compatible with OnStar FMV continues to grow. OnStar has now validated 90 million vehicles manufactured in the last 10 years as compatible with OnStar FMV – up from 55 million when the product was announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show in January.
"OnStar FMV meets the same rigorous standards for safety, reliability and performance we've developed in 15 years of producing and perfecting OnStar for GM vehicles," said Greg Ross, vice president of Business Extensions at OnStar. "Drivers of Fords, Toyotas and other vehicles now have the unique 'blue button' OnStar experience that brings together the best of technology with the best of person-to-person customer service."
OnStar is continuing to actively recruit retailers to carry OnStar FMV, which will sell for $299. Installation, which consists of replacing the existing rearview mirror with the OnStar FMV, is expected to take less than an hour and cost less than $100. A range of service plans will be available for OnStar FMV, starting at $18.95 a month or $199 a year.
For more information on OnStar FMV, visit www.onstar.com.
Free external microphone provides best-in-class audio quality
2011-03-17
DETROIT – OnStar's new retail product will be called OnStar FMV and include an external microphone for best-in-class voice quality comparable to the aftermarket Bluetooth speakerphones and OnStar systems integrated into new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac cars, trucks and crossovers.
OnStar FMV, an abbreviation of For My Vehicle, will bring the industry-leading safety, security and convenience of OnStar to 90 million vehicles already on the road when it goes on sale for $299 this summer.
OnStar FMV offers the same core features that have made OnStar the most trusted and popular safety, security and communications service for more than 6 million subscribers.
Automatic Crash Response, triggered by an accelerometer in the OnStar FMV mirror, connects the vehicle to a trained OnStar emergency advisor in the event of a crash. The advisor can provide the exact location of the crash to emergency responders using the mirror's GPS location, even if the vehicle's occupants are unable to respond.
Turn-by-Turn navigation, OnStar's most-popular service, is accessible with a press of OnStar's blue button. The driver asks the advisor for directions for a specific address or location, such as a gas station or restaurant. Directions are downloaded to OnStar FMV, which provides spoken turn-by-turn instructions to the destination.
Security services include Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance, which also uses OnStar FMV's global positioning satellite location. Roadside assistance is a blue button push away. A red button is for emergency assistance or situations such as witnessing a collision or a crime in progress.
OnStar FMV provides two choices for hands-free calling: through the OnStar service itself, or through a Bluetooth connection to a mobile phone. The external microphone, which tucks neatly into the roofline or above the overhead console, gives the best-possible voice quality – while the driver keeps hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. The external microphone replaces an embedded microphone in the original design.
The roster of vehicle makes and models compatible with OnStar FMV continues to grow. OnStar has now validated 90 million vehicles manufactured in the last 10 years as compatible with OnStar FMV – up from 55 million when the product was announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show in January.
"OnStar FMV meets the same rigorous standards for safety, reliability and performance we've developed in 15 years of producing and perfecting OnStar for GM vehicles," said Greg Ross, vice president of Business Extensions at OnStar. "Drivers of Fords, Toyotas and other vehicles now have the unique 'blue button' OnStar experience that brings together the best of technology with the best of person-to-person customer service."
OnStar is continuing to actively recruit retailers to carry OnStar FMV, which will sell for $299. Installation, which consists of replacing the existing rearview mirror with the OnStar FMV, is expected to take less than an hour and cost less than $100. A range of service plans will be available for OnStar FMV, starting at $18.95 a month or $199 a year.
For more information on OnStar FMV, visit www.onstar.com.
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