Blog Money

January 4th, 2011 by Meghan J. McDonough 

Tonight at CES, OnStar announced that it’s services, which were previously only available on GM cars, will now be available via stand alone rearview mirror for many models of cars on the road later this year. OnStar provides services such as turn-by-turn directions, unlocking locked cars, checking for engine trouble, and reporting crashes. The device will cost $299 plus installation and with service plans costing between $18.95 a month and $199 a year.

Additionally, starting in January, OnStar will launch an Android app for complete voice control of your car. Simply start the app on your phone and you’ll be able to control the heat, radio, post via voice to your Facebook page, and answer or decline phone calls. It uses Nuance’s voice technology to transcribe your texts or respond via customizable texts, such as, “I’ll call you later.” Likewise, if someone sends you a  text, you can say to the app, “Call back” and the app will automatically call the text sender back.
OnStar’s CEO also hinted at a future partnership with Verizon’s 4G LTE network, although they declined to elaborate on details, other than that they’re devising ways to utilize the carrier’s LTE network.
We look forward to checking out the app this week and letting you know how it works.