Dial in and fire up!

19th January 2008

Techno fans are in for a treat with the latest add-on for Apple’s iPhone – it starts your motor! What’s more, it also allows you to monitor the car’s condition, all from within a mile radius.

A connection is made via an advanced long-range Bluetooth-enabled key fob that communicates with the car. If it’s a cold morning, you can start the engine and turn up the climate control from inside the house.

Other functions include unlocking the doors, winding down the windows and keeping an eye on tyre pressures, oil and brake fluid levels. The system can even report on whether somebody’s trying to break in. Electronics firm Delphi claims the technology it’s developing will be available soon and compatible with a range of other smart phones, as well as the BlackBerry personal E-mail device.

And this isn’t the only product to take advantage of the iPhone’s cutting-edge image and futuristic functions. Land Rover’s LRX – the cross-coupé concept revealed at the Detroit Motor Show to mark the firm’s 60th birthday – also demonstrates how the iPhone will be the must-have gadget of the future.

The SUV has a docking station for the device that connects it to an LCD display ahead of the driver. Removable speakers in the car let users stream music from the iPhone for outdoor entertainment.