Had a long commute? Don’t feel like looking for parking in an almost-full parking lot? Ask your smartphone to do it. There are already apps out for smartphones that allow them to control other devices, such as audio docks, but to have your smartphone control your car would be ideal for those burnt out by the daily commute.
Car manufacturers and consumer electronic companies are working more closely than ever as technology and automobiles have become interwoven, starting with the car radio. In this demo at CEATEC 2012 in Japan, you can just step out of your car, and use your smartphone to have it find a parking space for you. Want to leave? You can use your smartphone to have your car come back to you.
Nissan also demonstrated a feature that can alert you to suspicious behavior around the car, and send a live video to your phone so that you know what’s going on outside from a discrete camera. The user can then use a smartphone to toggle the alarm on the car and warn off any potential thieves—or to find out who was the jerk that scratched your car.
Google pushed for legislation for driver-less cars in the US after its cars logged 300,000 miles with no incidents, so it is natural that features like these would follow suit.