A Key development at BMW

A Key development at BMW

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Discussion

aka_kerrly

Original Poster:

12,491 posts

222 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
quotequote all
Taken from Computer Weekly,
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/01/31/...

So BMW are developing a key that can act as not just a means of locking/unlocking/starting your car but will take the role of giving you access to your bank account, your house, your phone and your hotel room among other things.

This all sounds wonderful and I am not adverse to new technology but it does beg the question what the hell happens if you were to lose your key? You could end up not just car less but penniless to and how much do you reckon it will cost to get a new key "cut" as such.

What do we think then, is it too risky integrating so many aspects of our life into one bit of plastic?

DAVE

freakynessless

473 posts

194 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
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If its possible, its sounds even more unecessarily complicated than BMW's current keys.
What ever happend to just putting a key in a lock and turning it, end of.

Sixpackpert

4,823 posts

226 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
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Be cheaper for them to sell an app to start their cars.

People already have a lot of info on their phones (too much imho), it would be easier to add an app to the phone than to add a load of info onto the key!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/viper-smartstart/id...


Stu R

21,410 posts

227 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
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Nothing a pin number or password won't sort.

I'd love to see something like this, though I prefer the idea of being able to do everything via my mobile phone. Something like an iPhone with NFC ability and / or RFID that could be used for payment of groceries / services etc, car keys etc.

Given how portable and powerful they're becoming, and the fact they've already assumed the role of camera, mp3 player, sat nav, gaming device, office device, email client, bar code scanner, storage [ad infinitum] for so many people, it's a logical outcome I'd have thought if it could be done securely - which shouldn't be a problem.

South Korea is a massive eye opener for this sort of thing. If there were a standardised set of protocols for it the possibilities are endless really.

thinfourth2

32,414 posts

216 months

Wednesday 9th February 2011
quotequote all
Id rather we just shot all the car thiefs and remove the whole key problem