that's just what we need...more distraction while driving.

i guess the Blue Dashboard of Death is coming.

I rebooted my truck. No kidding. You disconnect the battery and it resets the computer. Then you reconnect, start it up and recalibrate. Hmm, sounds like my motherboard.

That's all we need---Microsoft enabling more people to chat on the phone, surf the 'Web and check their e-mail all while supposedly driving their vehicles. Since the Mr. Pukey emoticon is no longer available to us, guess I'll have to use this one---

Honest officer, I was just driving along checking my email and there was this one with an attachment. I selected it and suddenly my airbags deployed, *then* I hit the telephone and caused a 10 car pile up.

That's old news. Microsoft have been making car computers for a few years now. Hum, first I heard of this must have been in 1999 or so. Yes, it can be freaky.
Imagine when you'll be able to have your car on Autopilot, guided by GPS with radar detection of obstacles and surrounding cars. It will come, there are already some prototypes, but I sure hope Microsoft doesn't make the OS. :/

being able to pull computer codes helps, but too often the system which kicks the code is not the source of the problem:

Oxygen sensor starts failing and always reads lean ( computer pours more gas into engine => idle RPM drops => computer makes idle speed control motor push throttle and restore RPM => computer checks idle position of Throttle Position Sensor which is now out of tolerance, and a TPS error code is logged when the O2 sensor is kaput.
Still the codes give you somewhere to start.

I think we sortof got off track a little. Yea, all cars but the oldies have computers but they have basic programming. But the thought about "WINDOWS" into the cars computer system is another issue. I doubt that they will replace the computer alrighty there with Microsofts. They will be seperate systems. One controls the car like it always has and the other is a onboard display system. It would be cool if you could access a prog though in the onboard display to view all your preformance stats. But that would be bad. Think of History. If a cop wants to check to see if you normally speed in your car, they would access the history speeds recorded and put in a string like this (>50) or whatever the normal is. And it will show the date, time, speed, and possible location. Hmm...

Computer "crashes" would suck and probably cause a real crash.

Did any of you actually read and understand the article? It is clear that no one who commented understood what "Microsoft's Windows Automotive 4.2" or what part of the car "telematics" are.

forgive us

heh - i know, kona, but it just struck me as funny

I want a computer in my car, but first, I want a car. But obviously, I need a driving licence first. And to do that, I need to be 17 (UK). And I can't be 17 until I've had my birthday. And to have that, I gotta wait until the 19th of April. And I am impatient!!!!