Remote-Control Your Car with Your Mobile Phone

I have to admit, those dramatic commercials about people in distress being remotely helped by OnStar Advisors sometimes make me wish I bought a GM car. I mean, shouldn't all cars come with emergency assistance, hands-free calling, and services to locate my stolen vehicle? And now, GM is upping the ante for mobile (in both senses of the word) enthusiasts with OnStar smartphone apps, starting with the Chevrolet Volt. The Google-enhanced app can start your car, turn on the lights or activate the horn (in case you can't remember where you parked), and also check auto maintenance needs like fuel level and remaining oil life -- from your iPhone, Droid, or BlackBerry Storm. I'm not a car buff, but the OnStar Mobile App is pretty cool and likely a big help for serious road warriors who are GM customers.
Now that you can use your smartphone as a car starter, to pay for purchases at retail, and as a key for your hotel room, it may be time to wonder, is there anything you can't (or won't soon be able to) do with a smartphone?

Free Mobile Phone Calls - Vonage joins Skype & Fring

Friday August 6, 2010

Vonage recently announced a new mobile application that will allow smartphone users to make free phone calls over Wi-Fi or 3G to their Facebook friends (who also have the app installed). Add the "Vonage Mobile Application for Facebook" to other VoIP mobile apps like Skype Mobile, Google Voice, and Fring, and suddenly it seems silly to pay for mobile calls at all. With everyone (businesses and consumers) looking to cut costs these days, free mobile talk time is definitely advantageous. Here's what you need to know about these mobile VoIP apps: