News From CES: Top Ten list shows vehicles moving "from embedded to integrated"

LAS VEGAS — Personal mobile connectivity is creeping into the "Top Ten Wish List" for autobuyers, an industry analyst at the Consumer Electronics Show said yesterday.

The list, part of a survey done by Gartner Dataquest, revealed that many car buyers are now thinking of connecting MP3 players and hands-free phone kits to their vehicles. "In 2007, we're going to see a move from embedded to integrated," noted Thilo Koslowski, automotive analyst and vice president of research for Gartner Dataquest. Koslowski told attendees at the Consumer Telematics Seminar 2007 here that automakers need to be building software and hardware infrastructures to allow for the arrival of such mobile devices in the vehicle.

Although the results showed that an embedded hands-free feature is still number one on the Wish List, hands-free kits have moved to number two. Ability to connect to an MP3 player landed at number ten.  

Gartner Dataquest Top Ten Consumer Wish List for Vehicle Information and Communications Technology 
1. Embedded hands-free feature
2. Hands-free kit
3. Emergency/SOS function
4. Theft recovery
5. Digital satellite radio
6. Satellite navigation with wireless map updates
7. Adaptive cruise control
8. Integrated CD player with MP3 functionality
9. Lane departure warning system
10. Ability to connect to MP3 player