Survive the Drive! Great gear for kids (and you)
Turn your car into a Wi-Fi hot spot
uconnect web, powered by Autonet Mobile: One of the most miraculous travel products out there will debut in the next few days: it’s called uconnect web, powered by Autonet Mobile. And while it sounds like a mouthful, it’s very simple: The little Autonet box turns your entire car (and the 100-foot radius around it) into a high-speed, Wi-Fi hot spot. That’s right, the same hot spot you’d find at Starbucks, only in this case it’s your car’s private hot spot. And you can connect as many Wi-Fi devices as you want to it at the same time. A couple of iPhones? Sure. Add a PSP game player for your kid? Absolutely. Mom’s Wi-Fi-enabled laptop? Yep.
Again, you and your family can connect as many Wi-Fi-enabled devices as you want. And while this is oversimplifying, the Autonet device basically translates any cell phone signal (95% of the country’s populated area is covered by at least one) into a Wi-Fi signal. The device will be sold and installed as a Mopar accessory exclusively at 3,700 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealers around the country, but it is also available to anybody who wants to drive to one of those 3,700 dealerships in a non-Chrysler product (like Ford, Mini, BMW, etc.) and have one installed in their product. The device is $499, and the service costs $29 per month. No special software is required. (www.autonetmobile.com)
By Paul Hochman
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 5:30 a.m. PT, Sun., Aug. 24, 2008
