Automakers tap into smartphones to get Web into cars

 

Internet radio and apps may be coming to your car, thanks to the iPhone, Android or BlackBerry.

For years, carmakers talked about "connected cars" with apps for mapping, movie show times, restaurant reviews and online radio using an onboard computer and monthly fees. But with the iPhone and Android, the Internet is already in the car — it's just a matter of connecting the two.

"Things have changed quite a bit," says Robert Passaro, a senior product manager for BMW. "We're tapping into where people are living their digital lives now, and that's on the smartphone. It makes sense to leverage that and integrate it into the car."