Over the past few years microprocessors and wireless Internet connections have turned cameras, phones and televisions into computers. Today the same technologies are being used and developed to transform the common automobile into a moving communication center; the internet on the dashboard. There are already products like Chrysler’s Uconnect that can turn the family minivan into a rolling Wi-Fi hot spot. The $499 box is a combination high-speed cellular Internet connection and wireless router that gives any nearby Wi-Fi-enabled device Web access. This allows passengers to surf the Web while cruising around town or down the highway. Coming technologies promise to take car computing to the next level by tightly integrating Web information and entertainment with driving tasks — and even putting Internet-based information at the driver’s fingertips.

Television technology is also coming to cars. In development is a way to extend live television feeds to the back seat. Various aftermarket companies are working towards this. The industry is eagerly waiting consumer’s response to this new world of Web- and channel-surfing in automobiles. There are still many potholes that could put a dent in the progress.  Coverage is still spotty in rural areas, and the speed of existing networks cannot match that of a cable broadband connection. Do we really need TV and internet in our cars? Not really, but with today’s hustle and bustle society saving time, even if it’s in the car, will likely be important to many. The funny thing is years in the future it will likely be like the internet and cell phones are today, part of everyday life.