Filed under: Accessories, iPhone, Holidays, iPod touch
Vrooooom! Start your car (and more) from your iPhone or iPod touch
TUAW reader Ethan pointed us in the direction of something new, cool, and available only for iPhone and iPod touch (take that, Palm Pre and Android phones!)BestBuy has an exclusive on the new Viper SmartStart System, which can do a number of things for your wheels:
- Start your car with virtually unlimited range
- Warm your car in winter; cool your car in summer
- Unlock your car or truck
- Arm the alarm to protect your car
- Activate panic alarm to protect yourself
- Receive push-button status notifications
There are two versions available: a module (SmartStart VSM100 Module, US$299.99) for cars that are already equipped with compatible Viper starting systems, and a fully loaded package (SmartStart VSM4000 System, US$499.99) for the rest of us.
Some of the app reviewers have noted that you're not only paying for the system and your iPhone bill, but there's also a US$29
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
pipcorona said 9:36PM on 10-25-2009
After the first year the GSM bill is $29 a year, not a month.
Reply
Pyrofallout said 8:58AM on 10-26-2009
+1. It's $30/year, not /month.
duke said 9:44PM on 10-25-2009
$860 the first year and $360 thereafter to start my car? No thanks. It might be amazingly cool, but that is kinda crazy to charge monthly. So you can't unlock your car when you're on vacation with no cell service? No backup option like peer to peer WIFI or Bluetooth? Lame. Also you'd think that an always on GSM radio would drain your battery if you left your car, like you said, at the airport for any extended period of time. Push eats battery.
Reply
ABCNEWSER said 9:50PM on 10-25-2009
$29 per YEAR. As the article says, they received that info from an App reviewer. If you read the BestBuy page, it says it's free for the first year, then $29 a year after that.
duke said 9:54PM on 10-25-2009
Well how in the hell am I supposed to know that? I was just commenting on the article. I'm not going to go fact checking a blog post every 15 minutes.
Monica Dickey said 1:39AM on 10-26-2009
Hmm $30 to feel like Batman... Who can put a price on that?
I wonder how long until it will tell the car to automatically pull up to where you are.
puhsitch said 8:48AM on 10-26-2009
I got your back, duke...that *is* what the article said, after all!
duke said 10:09AM on 10-26-2009
I hate it when blogs correct stories and make commenters look dumb. Originally it didn't say anything about the first year being free.
Dave said 9:50PM on 10-25-2009
i hate when somebody blogs the wrong way is like this…
Service plan required. One year service plan included. $29.99/year after the first year.
*** Certain functions not available on all systems. Professional installation required.
Reply
TheJae said 12:26AM on 10-26-2009
I just wanted to point that out. Thanks Dave.
Matt Jones said 9:58PM on 10-25-2009
First person to hack this to include a remote driving system and video feed wins one (1) Internet! :)
Reply
zipper77 said 10:53PM on 10-25-2009
this was really cool.........until i saw the price tag
Reply
jraya said 11:49PM on 10-25-2009
What several bloggers and news sites fail to mention is that the $499 price includes installation and labor by Best Buy for the SmartStart system. The system is in line with most higher end remote starters. Some vehicles need additional parts for the SmartStart to run, but in most cases it won't be more then $150 for parts and labor. I just had mine installed today - works like a charm!
Reply
lmo said 1:28AM on 10-26-2009
Seriously, the remote I got with my Viper system does all that, without the extortionate fees I see here, so why would anyone want to do this? Other than, I suppose, some sort of misguided "cool factor".
Reply
mikehild said 9:15AM on 10-26-2009
Can you start your car with your remote from the opposite side of the city though? Sounds like you can with this.
Jon Kessler said 1:32AM on 10-26-2009
Lost me at $29/month. Got me back at $29/year. Car's always at the airport. The lot's wicked-huge and for 5 months a year wicked cold. They need a dunkin donuts out there. Answer the battery question and I'm BestBuyBound.
Reply
MJW said 8:44PM on 11-08-2009
Having lived in Northern Canada with minimum temperatures of< -40C and now Australia with maxima of +42 I can understand why some folk would want this product. But I have to ask myself with the looming environmental crisis does the world really need it...
Reply
spiceweasel said 4:00AM on 10-26-2009
Hooray! Finally, a REMOTE way to waste energy!
Reply
Tim Irwin said 6:56AM on 10-26-2009
This service will be outlawed the first time someone remotely starts a car in a home garage asphyxiating any one inside!
I cant smell the carbon dioxide But I can smell the law suits comin!
Reply
Jeremiah Moon said 10:23PM on 10-26-2009
Not to be that guy, but
carbon monoxide ≠ carbon dioxide.