Is this the Demise of the License Plate Game?

It's that time of year again - when we pack up the family wagon and head out on the open road to visit family. Vacations may never be the same with AutoNet Mobile, a wireless Internet service for your car. Great for long road trips, this device, which can be mounted almost anywhere in the car – even in the trunk or under the seat -- lets passengers surf the web, instant message, or play on their PSPs. You can even use it to talk on the phone if you have one of the fancy WiFi-Voice over IP handsets. The hardware costs $500 and comes with a monthly charge of $29. In true WiFi Hotspot form, the box lets you share one Internet connection with the whole car – rather than have separate “aircards” for each laptop. The Wi-Fi range is about 100 feet -- just enough to prevent tailgating freeloaders.

But before you stop paying your other Internet Service Providers, consider the limitations. The terms of service say the car has to be in motion, so this cannot be your home or office solution –not even if you leave the motor running. Not that the speeds of the service (which rely on the cell phone networks) would be sufficient enough to replace your other service. Unless you’re currently on dial-up – this service, advertised at 600-800 Kbps, will be a lot slower than what you’re used to. And don’t forget that wherever you drop your phone calls will be where you’ll drop your Internet connection – so don’t try to access your QuickBooks database or other high-throughput application. This is really for the family that can’t stop surfing and messaging long enough to enjoy each other’s company. How will we share the time-honored tradition of “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”?