Ford's 'Net car plans: Driving us to distraction?

By Michael Cooney
Network World, 08/07/00

If this is Ford's idea of a better idea, I think it should rethink the whole idea concept.

The country's No. 2 carmaker last week said it would team with Qualcomm to form a new company called Wingcast, which will develop and deliver wireless information services to cars and trucks. Wingcast will develop what every red-blooded American needs in a vehicle: voice, entertainment, Internet access and safety services.

Now I don't know about you, but I think most drivers are bad enough without the distraction of voice services, Internet access and whatever entertainment might really be needed in a car.

The firm says services will be available in late 2001. And I can see it now: Distracted drivers accessing whatever-dot-com and yapping on their wireless headsets in their Ford Expeditions will begin plowing into smaller cars shortly thereafter. (I can hear it now: "Sorry officer, I was downloading my e-mail and didn't see that car in front of me. Uh, was that a Pinto?").

Ford has been looking into the concept of car communications for awhile and has found that most customers would rather have safety and security features instead of Internet access or streaming video in their autos.

In fact, the car company reportedly will focus on services such as emergency roadside calling packages and electronic map offerings. Maybe Wingcast will come out with a vehicle locator beacon that goes off and contacts police if you slide down an embankment or into a snow bank - now that would be useful.

Unfortunately, all I can imagine now is that Wingcast will soon offer a roadside IS service to take care of all the wireless gear in the car. I see traveling Blockbuster vans loaded with videos you can rent by the mile. It's just not pretty.

Amazingly, Ford says more than one million of its new cars and trucks will be equipped for mobile communications by the end of 2002, three million by 2003 and nearly all of its vehicles by the end of 2004.

Please excuse me, but I'm going out to buy a tank.