Coming to a highway near you: Car.Net?

Thanks to davidpaj for the heads up from BPN which was spotted on www.tekfront.com.

You see, I spotted this on my daily trawl for news but I didn't consider it worthy.... just shows how wrong a newsposter can be ;)

U.S. commuters today collectively spend more than 500 million hours commuting in their cars every week, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Many drivers try to recoup this downtime by conducting business or catching up with family and friends via their cell phone. But this could soon change. Last year, New York became the first state to ban the use of cell phones while driving. Another 40 states have proposed similar laws.

And quite rightly too, but hey, that's a different story...

What's the answer for such commuters? In a word, telematics, in-car computing systems that allow drivers to accomplish a wide variety of tasks -- everything from accessing and responding to e-mail to reviewing their calendars -- without taking their hands off the steering wheel or their eyes off the road. For the last decade, Microsoft has been working with automakers to make telematics a reality for drivers. Today, leading automakers BMW, CitroÃ«n, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Volvo are using Microsoft technology to operate the in-dash computer in their vehicles.

Well, there goes my last tech free hour of the day while commuting to and from work.

What do you guys think? Would you be interested in telematics?

News source: Microsoft