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OnStar and General Motors offer cellphone app for most 2011 vehicles

By Tiffany Hsu
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This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

For all those people who have forgotten whether they locked their car doors or can’t find their vehicle in a parking lot, OnStar has a new application that lets drivers use their smart phones like a remote key fob on new General Motors Co. vehicles.

The technology will be available for most models in the 2011 Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC lineups. Customers with a basic $18.95 subscription to OnStar will be able to start their cars, activate the horn and lights and lock and unlock doors from a distance using a mobile phone.

The application was originally paired with just the Chevrolet Volt electric car, due out in December.
Users will plug in an ID and password to access the program and then input a PIN number to send commands. They also can ascertain the car’s remaining oil life, current odometer reading, vehicle identification number, tire pressure, fuel tank level and more from the phone.

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-- Tiffany Hsu

Technology Blog
Tiffany Hsu

Tiffany Hsu is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote about the California economy, fast food, restaurants, retail and alternative energy for the Business section. A Bay Area native, UC Berkeley graduate and eternal Nor-Cal fan, she once worked for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She also did a stint at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where she developed a passion for sweet tea. She still has faith that someday she’ll find two economists who agree.

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