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‘OnStar’ Stories

OnStar Family Link service launched

, Mar 28th 2012 Discuss [0]

General Motors has rolled out a new addition to its already-successful OnStar platform. Called Family Link, the new service lets users track other family members who have access to your car, allowing you to sign up for text messages and e-mail alerts when the vehicle arrives at a specific location or to let you know where it is at a specific time. Yeah, it's a double-edged sword, but it's a feature that customers want. Read The Full Story

OnStar invites tech, utility, and energy companies to use Smart Grid APIs

, Feb 3rd 2012 Discuss [0]

OnStar is pushing major utility companies, energy companies, and technology firms to develop Smart Grid solutions that will allow the Chevy Volt to interface with utility grid for various tasks. The goal is to allow the driver of the Volt to have granular control over how and when their vehicles charge, and the sort of electricity that is used. Read The Full Story

OnStar outs app API at CES 2012 and seeks next big in-car app

, Jan 9th 2012 Discuss [1]

OnStar is on hand at CES 2012 in Las Vegas, and the company is offering up an interesting API to allow developers to build apps that will operate on the OnStar hardware and network. OnStar wants apps that will work with its suite of services enabled by what it calls ATOMS or Advanced Telemetric Operating System. Read The Full Story

OnStar and NORAD team up to make it easy to track Santa Christmas Eve

, Dec 22nd 2011 Discuss [0]

If you have kids, they are undoubtedly very nearly insane with the anticipation of Christmas at this point. Last year I had to set my daughter up with an iPod touch and the NORAD Santa tracker app to keep her from going off the reservation completely. If you have, a GM car that rocks OnStar you can send your little ones outside to push the OnStar button and hear just where Santa is. Read The Full Story

OnStar shows off in-car video chat and video streaming

, Dec 21st 2011 Discuss [1]

Somewhere in Washington, a lobbyist wanting to remove all forms of distraction from our vehicles is having a seizure right now. OnStar is showing off a new system that is designed to stream video chats and calls to your vehicle using 4G LTE technology. If using a hands free calling system is too much of a distraction in the eyes of the NTSB having a video call going in the car is going to cause some strokes at safety HQ. Read The Full Story

OnStar backtracks on GPS tracking

, Sep 28th 2011 Discuss [1]

OnStar has bowed to public and governmental pressure, and reversed its controversial decision to track ex-subscribers using its in-car GPS navigation and support system. Having announced - via a change in its terms & conditions - that from December it would be tracking the location of those with OnStar systems installed, even if the individuals were non-subscribers, OnStar has now backtracked and said it would now make any data collection opt-in rather than opt-out. Read The Full Story

OnStar user tracking scheme raises the ire of three US Senators

, Sep 26th 2011 Discuss [3]

A few days back OnStar was in the news when it notified its customer base that it would be collecting data on their locations and other data and that it was reserving the right to share that data with anyone for any reason including marketing. The part that really angered people is that OnStar was saying that it would continue to track user movements even after they cancel the OnStar account. OnStar later said that it would warn the user when cancelling that they would be tracking their location. Read The Full Story

OnStar to track all drivers by default [Updated]

, Sep 22nd 2011 Discuss [9]

OnStar has updated its privacy policy so as to permit position and speed tracking of cars with the navigation system installed, even if drivers do not have an active subscription. The change is already being criticized by privacy activists, who also highlight the clauses allowing OnStar to sell GPS tracking data to its choice of partners, albeit in anonymized form. That, OnStar spokesperson Adam Denison, is yet to happen, though the General Motors subsidiary does reserve the right to begin distributing location data in the future. Updated with OnStar comment after the cut. Read The Full Story

GM OnStar RemoteLink app gets update for navigation on iPhone and Android

, Aug 30th 2011 Discuss [5]

OnStar has announced a new update for the iPhone and Android versions of the RemoteLink app. The app will work with any RemoteLink-enabled vehicle. The new update is cool because it allows the driver to select a destination using their smartphone and then shoot that destination over to the car for turn-by-turn driving directions. Read The Full Story

OnStar offers new Family Link pilot program

, Aug 2nd 2011 Discuss [0]

OnStar has been on GM vehicles for a long time now and has some really cool features. The features we tend to see on TV are the door unlocking and the ability to track and stop the vehicle if it gets stolen. OnStar has a new pilot program for families that looks very interesting for the worrisome sort. The program is called the Family Link pilot. Read The Full Story