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Sprint Velocity: A New Way To Stay Connected
by Chris Jagielski
The New York Auto Show was just a few weeks ago, and boy was it a sight to behold. The cars and technology of 2014 seem to be extremely promising. From the new Volkswagen Golf to the Porsche GT3, car manufacturers are definitely not holding back this year. They are shelling out great pieces of work. But the interiors and exteriors are not the only features that are wowing crowds. Technology is being recognized, and may be the deciding factor when it’s time to purchase that new car.
There was a lot of exciting technology presented this year, but something that really caught my attention was Sprint Velocity. Sprint is joining the infotainment race to give consumers what they want. They are already putting the technology in the SRT Viper, Dodge Ram, and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Sprint’s main goal with Velocity is to integrate cell phones with the infotainment system, so users will be able to drive hands-free, lowering driver distraction. Like many other infotainment systems, Velocity will read your Facebook status, emails, and text messages to you as you are driving. That is pretty neat, but seriously people? Are we really that hell-bent on our social updates that we can’t even drive without knowing what our BFF posted? I am not a fan, but hey, this is what the people want.
Sorry, I got out of context right there. Where was I? Yes, besides reading your messages, you will also be to talk to the system, so it can reply to those messages. In a need of emergency baby diapers? Sprint Velocity also includes a mobile wallet, so you can purchase Wi-Fi right then and there, as well as open the website for your purchase. Velocity will also be able to read your world news, your personal stock preferences, and even sports games.
That’s is some amazing technology right there, but that’s not all. Your car will also be able to tell you the most convenient speed to save on gas, as well as when you will need an oil change. Sprint is trying to make it so that drivers never have to touch their phone in the car again. The car should be their on-board cellular device. Slowly but surely, this technology is making its way into more vehicles. Juniper Research believes 100 million cars will be connected by 2016.