There are all kinds of possibilities. If the message was accurate, it would be a tremendous help to commuters. Unfortunately, most companies don t have a real-life environment to test ideas like that, to see how customers would use their products. So, most companies don t know what customers would really find useful. Many people are happy to use it for demo purposes to talk to OnStar operators via the car s cellphone or satellite link.
People show friends how the system can turn on their headlights or unlock their doors.
But, in practice, OnStar isn t used so much. It s fundamental for users to have some control over the way a product develops, yet all the wireless technologies I m aware of have very fixed functions. There s no allowance in the business for the unexpected. Cellular companies are taking a huge risk by thinking about technology in terms of generations. They roll out a new generation everywhere almost simultaneously.