We’re going to be hearing a lot of announcements from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. We’ll try to narrow those down to the ones we think our audience will be most interested in hearing. Mobile TV will be a major playing ground for the locals, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on it. One of the more interesting mobile TV innovations is happening in, of all places, the car industry. Chrysler is going to offer an option that would let people in the backseat watch TV via Flo TV). Audiovox is coming out with a similar system. The Mobile Digital TV standard will be used by LG Electronics, which will offer it within its mobile DVD player system.
WiFi is also coming to the automobile. Writes The New York Times:
“Automakers will also be pushing Internet access for the car. With Chrysler and General Motors already offering options that turn minivans and S.U.V.’s into rolling Wi-Fi hotspots, the technology is no longer a novelty. Ford will add its name to the roster by touting a new Sync wireless broadband modem. The modem will plug into the USB port of Sync-equipped cars to create a high-speed Internet connection that can be shared by passengers.”
Update: As Cory rightly points out, these kinds of cars would be perfect rolling hotspots for reporters and neighborhood bloggers. With a laptop and a “WiFi Car,” you have an instant live truck with broadband capability.
More: Free Local TV Soon to Be Available on Cell Phones (NYT)