After years of travel and computing remotely while on the road I have found that there are two magical experiences for the business traveler. One of those experiences is the hotline support I get from my preferred airline – United. The other is the live remote assistance I periodically receive from my company’s in-house IT department… Read More
Author: Roger C. Lanctot
CES 2020: Dashboard Distraction Dilemma
Tesla Motors did it again. In September of 2019 Tesla launched its “Software Version 10.0,” a software update targeted primarily at in-vehicle infotainment systems. Principal among the extensive menu of updates was something called “Tesla Theater” which added streaming video content sources including Netflix, Hulu, Youtube,… Read More
Who is Driving This Car Anyway?
My Lyft driver in San Jose thought his Hyundai had “autopilot,” alluding I suspected, to Tesla Motors’ feature of the same name which has placed that company at the forefront of driving automation development and the focal point of fatal crash investigations. Before either of us got hurt I gently disabused my driver of his dangerous… Read More
Learning to Love Lyft Again
When I landed at San Francisco International Airport last Tuesday morning around 1 a.m. I was determined to locate the airport taxi rank and take a cab to my hotel in Santa Clara. The idea of hailing an Uber or Lyft seemed essentially nonsensical to me since I knew professional taxi drivers would be waiting as they usually are at most… Read More
AAA: Killer Automotive Safety Systems
AAA is out with a new study, conducted on its behalf by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, that purports to show, among other things, that advanced automotive safety systems may lull drivers into a false sense of security leading to distracted driving or worse. The takeaway from this impressively elaborate study is
Put Uber out of Our Misery
The time may have finally arrived to put app-based transportation options out of commission. The latest report of 3,000 rapes and sexual assaults committed on or by Uber drivers in 2018 highlights a serious and possibly growing shortcoming of gig-type ride-hailing and delivery services: the weakness of driver background checks… Read More
GM’s CES No Show: EmBARRAssing!
After failing in 2017 and 2018 to put a single woman on-stage to deliver a high profile keynote, the Consumer Technology Association featured four female keynoters in 2019. Until recently, two women were on the docket for the 2020 show in January, but news arrived last week that General Motors’ CEO Mary Barra had cancelled… Read More
Mustang Mach-E!
Ford Motor Company detonated an epochal explosive in the form of an electrified Mustang SUV on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show last night. The move marked an industry altering turning point as auto makers commence the process of electrifying their internal combustion engine line-ups in anticipation of a global market embracing
Google Gaining ADAS Ground
Google’s Head of Android Auto Partnerships, Jens Bussman, joined me on stage last week in Munich at TU-Auto Europe to discuss Google’s progress and priorities in the global connected car market. The standing-room-only audience was treated to an overview of Google’s plans and some clarifications regarding its different assets… Read More
VW Drops Connected Car Bombshell
A senior executive from Volkswagen North America kicked off Enterprise Ireland’s first annual “CASE: Driving the Future” mobility symposium last week with the announcement of the launch of its next generation Car-Net connected car platform. The new solution represents a breakthrough by allowing for the customer selection
CHIPS Act dies because employees are fired – NIST CHIPS people are probationary