Past | Present | Future
What's Happening Now
Cell Phones
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Cell phones today have incorporated a wide variety of features far beyond just making phone calls. Many phones today support hundreds of stored phone numbers, expandable memory, higher battery life, internet access, storage for documents and files, mp3 players, cameras, planners, and voice recognition systems. Cell phones have all of these features in a very sleek, “new-age” look. Most cell phones are no bigger and weigh no more than a deck of cards. |
Remote Car Starters
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Remote car starters have progressed over the years so that their signal range has increased and the transmitter is more user friendly. Remote car starters can have a range of up to two miles today, whereas in the past, they had a range from 100 to 200 meters. The transmitter/remote has many more features than just starting a car. They can now unlock doors, set alarms, open the trunk, and operate more than one car all with one transmitter. |
Eye-Q
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Since its realease in 2003, not alot has changed with the Eye-Q, because it is a fairly new product. Currently, microprocessors like the Eye-Q, are reducing insize every year. This makes it easier to to place things like microproccessors inside cars, boats, lawnmowers, and other mechanical things that have little space availalbe. |
Integration of Cell Phones and Remote Starts
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As of today, there are a few companies that make remote car starters that operate via cell phones through a specific phone number. The user calls a phone number and enters their extension. This then sends a signal to the installed hardware in the vehicle instructing it to start. There is currently only one remote car starter operated via cell phone messaging on the market. There was another one called CellStart made by JBS Technologies. Earlier this year, JBS Technologies closed and CellStart is no longer made. When it was first introduced, it won awards at both the SEMA car show and Consumer Electronics Association. It originally cost between $300 and $400 for the initial software and hardware. It also required a $99 annual fee. The other remote car starter is Connect2Car, which was first introduced in 2002. This remote car starter uses software that is installed onto the user’s cell phone that communicates to a module installed inside the vehicle. In the $400 package, the signal is sent via Bluetooth and has a limited range, but for approximately $200 more, the user can get unlimited range. |
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