Originally Posted by CNN

USB for your car

Friday, September 16, 2005; Posted: 11:41 a.m. EDT (15:41 GMT)

Want to take your iPod in your car? Volkswagen -- and other car companies -- are starting to add in-dash USB connections.



FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- Leave the CDs at home.

With digital music players becoming more ubiquitous, Volkswagen AG is offering a stereo component that lets motorists plug in all manner of portable digital players -- not just iPods -- and manage their tunes and podcasts on a dashboard display.

Although the in-dash CD player has yet to go the way of the eight-track, digital devices with USB connections -- be they fancy iPods or simple keychain drives -- seem now to be portable music's future.

Volkswagen, Europe's biggest automaker, is thus making the USB connection an option on its Golf, Golf Plus and Touran models in December and on remaining models next year.

Just plug your device into a built-in console in the center armrest. The option comes in two varieties, one for the iPod, another for other USB-based players. Up to six of the player's folders will be displayed on the car stereo system, and the radio buttons can be used to scan, search or shuffle your mix.

The setup will cost $240.

Also at the International Auto Show this week, Mazda Motor Corp. unveiled its Sassou concept car. Instead of a key, motorists use a special USB drive to lock, unlock or start the car. The drive can also carry your favorite tunes.

Meanwhile, Japan's Denso Corp. has developed a security system that not only honks the horn incessantly when disturbed but also snaps a digital photo of the vehicle's interior and e-mails it to the owner.

Originally Posted by Kubz18

but that last part about snapping a digital photo is ok but emailing the owner? come on not like im going to be sitting at my computer everytime im not in my car maybe it could call my cell phone or something......interesting idea though

Originally Posted by denim

I wonder what else a USB-to-car connection could be used for. I mean, okay, a mass storage device containing MP3/WMA/ACC files, of course, but what else?

Originally Posted by denim

I wonder what else a USB-to-car connection could be used for. I mean, okay, a mass storage device containing MP3/WMA/ACC files, of course, but what else?

Originally Posted by denim

Techs already have a plug in the engine compartment of most if not all cars for diagnosis. It's not USB, though. Don't expect car makers to break out this kind of thing to make it easy to reprogram the car. It'd expose them to too much liability when you tell your car's engine to do impossible things from inexperienced reprogramming, for instance.

Originally Posted by Borla

OBD - II

Originally Posted by Borla

And you can buy programs now for your laptop to tune your car, plugging into the car there. The plug is usually above the pedals on the underside of the dash on the driver's side. :thumbsup:

Originally Posted by denim

Ah, time to do some Googling. I haven't heard of that, not that I'm some kind of car hacker.


I'm definitely not some kind of car hacker. ;)

Originally Posted by j8ear

It's about time! Here are somethings I would like to see:

1. Instead of bluetooth phones...maybe USB phones.
-bear