(http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/verizon-delphi-car-diagnostics.jpg) (http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/31/verizon-vehicle-diagnostics-by-delphi-now-monitoring-your-car/)
Who'd have thought we'd be happy to see an unassuming black box? Delphi (http://www.engadget.com/tag/Delphi/) and Verizon managed to whet our interest with their Vehicle Diagnostics (http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/08/delphi-verizons-vehicle-diagnostics-hands-on-video/) kit and service at CES, and our curiosity is renewed now that the monitoring combo is available for drivers. The finished product costs a fairly steep $250 for the Delphi adapter, although it does deliver two years of free service and costs a contract-free $5 per month afterwards. Shelling out brings the promised remote troubleshooting and notifications, including alerts for any performance problems and warnings for any geofencing (http://www.engadget.com/tag/geofencing/) violations. If you're willing to pair an Android or iOS phone with the kit over Bluetooth, you can also use the smart device in place of your keys -- temporarily, we hope. Vehicle Diagnostics should work with most cars made from 1996 onward, but do some homework before any outlay: at least a few cars miss out on the full diagnostic suite, which might dampen dreams of a connected car utopia.
Filed under: Cellphones (http://www.engadget.com/category/cellphones/), Transportation (http://www.engadget.com/category/transportation/), Wireless (http://www.engadget.com/category/wireless/), Verizon (http://www.engadget.com/category/verizon/)
Comments (http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/31/verizon-vehicle-diagnostics-by-delphi-now-monitoring-your-car/#comments)
Via: Android Police (http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/03/29/verizon-and-delphi-officially-launch-vehicle-diagnostics-service-250-for-the-module-5-a-month-on-your-bill/)
Source: Verizon (http://www.verizonwireless.com/wcms/consumer/devices/vehicle-diagnostics.html)
Via: Engadget