Lower gas price wars if

[aka007ii]

What if most of our cars (not just Prius) had navigation systems with gas station POI icons. Now add the ability to toggle between icons and the current price of unleadded (or whatever your car is designed to take). I've seen web sites that recieve current prices from some stations. If our cars had Internet access and could update this information the stations would need to provide thier prices to use to stay competitive. If a station didn't update thier prices on our screens we wouldn't likely use them right? So, they would want to show up to us and would NEED to be the lowest price for us to choose them over the station 1 block down.

Japan already has Internet access as well as TV in thier cars. I don't think this is too far off.

[ScottY]

Originally posted by aka007ii@Nov 17 2005, 04:04 PM
What if most of our cars (not just Prius) had navigation systems with gas station POI icons. Now add the ability to toggle between icons and the current price of unleadded (or whatever your car is designed to take). I've seen web sites that recieve current prices from some stations. If our cars had Internet access and could update this information the stations would need to provide thier prices to use to stay competitive. If a station didn't update thier prices on our screens we wouldn't likely use them right? So, they would want to show up to us and would NEED to be the lowest price for us to choose them over the station 1 block down.

Japan already has Internet access as well as TV in thier cars. I don't think this is too far off.

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If you look at the gadgets that Japan has and what we have in the States, we are WAY off.

To give you some hopes, at a Microsoft presentation, they were saying they are working on integrating internet into cars. But then again, Microsoft in your car might not be a good idea.

[Marlin]

Originally posted by ScottY@Nov 17 2005, 04:11 PM
But then again, Microsoft in your car might not be a good idea. 

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Yeah, the software might crash and stall the engine while you're driving on the highway.

[Tempus]

Originally posted by ScottY@Nov 17 2005, 03:11 PM
To give you some hopes, at a Microsoft presentation, they were saying they are working on integrating internet into cars.

Be careful what you wish for.

Then you'll have auto-update enabled and the car will download software patches every week, and lord knows what will break

Everyone downloads the latest patch all at once and every Prius stops in it's tracks and starts sending out spam :P

[aka007ii]

Originally posted by ScottY@Nov 17 2005, 12:11 PM
If you look at the gadgets that Japan has and what we have in the States, we are WAY off.

To give you some hopes, at a Microsoft presentation, they were saying they are working on integrating internet into cars. But then again, Microsoft in your car might not be a good idea. 

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I'm sure you can currently use a PDA or laptop to find the lowest price but not all stations participate. If this function was built into many cars they would need to show up.

[Kiloran]

Originally posted by Marlin@Nov 17 2005, 04:19 PM
Yeah, the software might crash and stall the engine while you're driving on the highway.   

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That wouldn't be Microsoft's fault.
It'd be the fault of some military guy named "General Protection". :P

[hyo silver]

Originally posted by ScottY@Nov 17 2005, 03:11 PM

To give you some hopes, at a Microsoft presentation, they were saying they are working on integrating internet into cars. But then again, Microsoft in your car might not be a good idea. 

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I would pay extra NOT to have a car with windows by Microsoft. Where's that story about "if computer guys designed cars"? It was a response to Bill Gates' claims that if car technology had advanced as rapidly as computer technology, we'd all drive cars that get 1000mpg and cost 100 bucks each, or something like that. The smart ass response was like 'Yeah, but they'd always crash for no apparent reason, and you'd have to use the start button to turn it off' (!)

[aka007ii]

Geeze. Forget it. I didn't mean to get all the anti-Microsoft picketers out. You mention Microsoft and it's like religon or politics. And I never said the M word. I can't see how my idea could possibly stall the car. I'm sure they (not "M") would use a seperate computer for the Internet access functions.

[Marlin]

Originally posted by aka007ii@Nov 17 2005, 04:30 PM
Geeze. Forget it. I didn't mean to get all the anti-Microsoft picketers out. You mention Microsoft and it's like religon or politics. And I never said the M word. I can't see how my idea could possibly stall the car. I'm sure they (not "M") would use a seperate computer for the Internet access functions.

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[Marlin wispers in aka007ii's ear...]
My post about the car stalling on the highway was sarcasm... A response to the anti-Microsoft picketers. There's no Microsoft code in the car right now, and it already has software glitches such as the one that causes it to stall on the highway.

[Marlin now speaks at normal volume...]
You're idea is actually a good one in my opinion. My first thought was that you should have patented it, rather than announcing it to the world. You might have one day made a good bit of money.

[Marlin mutters to himself...]
Hmmmm, where's that phone number for my patent attorney?

[hyo silver]

Sorry, 007, didn't mean to jump on you. You're right, internet access on that MFD would actually be really handy, and not just for finding the lowest priced gas. We could search for tourist sites, available camping spots, radar traps...whatever. I can see it being far superior to an outdated dvd with a few maps on it.

Hey, we could install video cameras, and give each other virtual tours over Priuschat!