It’s already pretty clear that social media and apps have become an integral part of our every second of our lives (Words with Friends anyone?). But do we really need things like Twitter (News - Alert) and Angry Birds in our cars as well?

According a session at M2M Evolution at ITEXPO (News - Alert) East 2012 titled “Tracking the Automotive Opportunity,” consumers are indicating that this would be ideal. 

“At the end of the day, I think everyone wants a tablet type experience in the vehicle,” Win Williams, area vice president, Emerging Devices, AT&T (News - Alert), said during today’s session. “They want access to open data in the car, but cognitive ability and legislative issues won’t allow that to happen. Long term, the big play to make in open apps is for speech recognition to get better. It’s about how can I do these things without having to distract myself to look at a screen and touch buttons.”

Today, M2M Evolution kicked off at ITEXPO, a three-day event that focuses on the “value proposition” phase of M2M and how real life M2M technologies and applications are helping businesses fuel growth and productivity.

As put by the panelists in this morning’s session, each generation is hoping that different apps and data will matriculate into the car. While the younger generation might be yearning for their Facebook (News - Alert) Newsfeeds to be available while they are driving, other age groups might be more interested in 3D maps or routing systems that can figure out which roads have little traffic.

Recently a telematics survey was conducted and those 25 years old and younger were asked if they would rather give up their car for a week or access to the Internet. According to Williams, 75 percent said they would rather give up their car for the week, a statement that was met by laughs from M2M Evolution members.

“We are dealing with a couple of different segments out there,” Williams said referencing the fact that each group might want something different from M2M technology in cars.

“This is a broad space,” he added. “Everybody has different strategies and different approaches and the segment they are trying to approach.”

Specifically, as Sai Yagnyamurthy, manager, Gobal Stratey, M2M, OEM Aftermarket Telematics, Verizon, explained, over the past decade, carriers have seen customers shift their attitudes from wanting safety and security features in the car to searching for navigation services to hoping social applications will make their way into their vehicles. Moreover, OEMS are facing more pressure than ever before to figure out how they can better address customers’ needs and manage the customer lifecycle process.

“They are saying to us, ‘Help us out here. How do we manage the customer lifecycle? How do we bring content in the car?’” Yagnyamurthy said.

But with facts like texting while driving increases your chance for an accident by 23 times, how do we navigate advancing M2M technology in the car while still hammering down on distracted driving? 

One way to do this is to create apps that recognize when you are in the car and severely limit certain functions on your phone during these times, like an app that Verizon is in the process of creating, Yagnyamurthy said.

However, perhaps the most important thing to remember is that people are ultimately responsible for finding safe ways to enjoy the advances afforded by M2M technology.

“It’s about people taking personal responsibility,” Williams said. “Whether you are shaving, putting your eyeliner on or texting, we support a number of ads that support no texting while driving. You can’t legally control people texting and driving; it has to be on the driver to say, ‘I am going to take personal responsibility.’”

Want to learn more about M2M technologies? Then be sure to check out the M2M Evolution Conference, collocated with TMC’s ITEXPO East 2012 taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. The M2M Evolution Conference is for industry professionals interested in capitalizing on a rapidly growing segment of the telecom industry. The M2M Evolution Conference embraces the any-to-any strategy of the Internet today. Co-sponsored by TMC (News - Alert) Partner Crossfire Media, it showcases the solutions, and examines the data strategies and technological requirements that enterprises and carriers need to capitalize on a market segment that is estimated to grow to $300 Billion in the year ahead. For more information on registering for the M2M Evolution Conference click here.

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