I wish I could get a car with a place to securely mount an iPad or Android tablet and supply power to it. They could leave out the stereo, mapping, and big display and let me use whatever device I choose.
I currently use my Android phone to play music and make phone calls through a Bluetooth-FM adapter in my car. I just got a Bluetooth-OBDII adapter (eBay, $20) and the Android Torque app (https://market.android.com/details?id=org.prowl.torquefree) which can show just about any operational parameter of the car - speed, fuel pressure, coolant temp, trouble codes, etc. There are only a few things I can't do through the Android - control the temperature and turn on the headlights. That and having a good place to mount the Android is the only thing missing now.
When I read this title I get hopeful for the following which probably won't happen
-Buy a car, get 3 years unlimited free 3G internet for your car
-Hot spot capabilities
-Access to TV (for the back seat) and Radio apps (Pandora in the car!)
Although technically only the first one is necessary since most people get the second two plus many more from having a smart phone with a data plan.
I would bet that will happen with Google android devices which will be coming integrated in high end vehicles, such as the Tesla S1000. Then hopefully, these will trickle down the stack to mainstream vehicles.
Surely nothing can go wrong with this development.
</snark> On a more serious note, how many times have we heard such things, and why has it taken so long? People have been using crappy GPSes for quite a while now, and more recently their cell phones to do things the car manufacturers have known about for years, but done nothing to support.
Seems like this is a mis-step in the smartphone + tablet era. Do I want a computer in my car or do I want a dock for the computer I already carry around with me everywhere in my car?
P.S. Considering that the big cost of either system is the 3G phone plan and that people tend to replace the hardware of the computer they take everywhere significantly more frequently than they replace their cars, I think it's pretty obvious which option makes more practical sense.
I currently use my Android phone to play music and make phone calls through a Bluetooth-FM adapter in my car. I just got a Bluetooth-OBDII adapter (eBay, $20) and the Android Torque app (https://market.android.com/details?id=org.prowl.torquefree) which can show just about any operational parameter of the car - speed, fuel pressure, coolant temp, trouble codes, etc. There are only a few things I can't do through the Android - control the temperature and turn on the headlights. That and having a good place to mount the Android is the only thing missing now.