Who needs a key? IPhone app unlocks and starts car
A California company Tuesday will announce an iPhone application and car receiver that will enable users to lock, unlock and remotely start their car with the phone rather than the car's key fob.
The Viper SmartStart is the latest example of automotive electronics functions migrating into Apple iPhone and other smartphones, including turn-by-turn directions or locating the closest gas station. Such ideas are a challenge for automakers and aftermarket suppliers for whom advanced auto electronics have been highly profitable.
"The days of these dedicated products we could put in our cars are rapidly coming to an end unless those products evolve into something more integrated," says William Matthies, an auto electronics veteran who now heads market research firm Coyote Insight.
