Windows Open

Listening to Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer address the recent Microsoft Automotive Executive Summit, it's clear at least one company still has big plans for telematics — or what he refers to as in-vehicle services.

Microsoft isn't listening to the naysayers who question whether the sector ever will materialize, insisting it's more than just sports scores, traffic updates and e-mail while driving. Imagine going through a McDonald's drive-through and not having to reach for cash because the money is automatically deducted from your bank account.

Ballmer calls it the “connected car.” Microsoft's next-generation Windows Automotive 4.2 platform, launched recently in Europe, will connect telematics devices — such as cell phones and personal digital assistants — with the vehicle and various Web services.

Microsoft points to Toyota Motor Corp.'s G-BOOK system, introduced in Japan last year, as an example that uses the Windows platform, which allows driver access to personal and digital media information.

“There is still some fundamental architecture work to do inside the vehicle,” Ballmer admits. “And I think there are still inventions that will come.”

It's also still not clear exactly what the consumer is willing to pay for. Earlier, at the same conference, General Motors Corp. Chief Technology Officer Tony Scott cites a study showing only 3% of consumers actually want e-mail access in the vehicle.