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The Internet Transportation

GM Sees a Market For $5/Day Dedicated In-Car Internet 216

An anonymous reader writes "$5 doesn't sound like much for a day of internet service in some contexts: it's less than you might pay for it in-flight, and less than a few espresso drinks if you're lured in by a coffee shop's Wi-Fi service. But not all internet service is created equal; would you pay $5 for a month of in-car internet service if it meant a 200-meg cap, which is (only) 'enough to stream more than 6.5 hours of music?' That's where a new dedicated Internet service from GM starts (also at the WSJ, paywalled), and it's $10 for drivers who aren't also OnStar subscribers. Probably a more likely option for the occasional road trip, though, is $5 per day service (no OnStar requirement) for 250MB of data. Why wouldn't someone just use a smartphone with a data plan, or a dedicated hotspot device? GM thinks they'll be drawn to 'a powerful antenna that's stronger than that of a smartphone, along with a Wi-Fi hotspot that operates without draining a mobile device's battery. That hotspot is on any time the car is on.'"
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GM Sees a Market For $5/Day Dedicated In-Car Internet

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  • by nospam007 ( 722110 ) * on Monday May 12, 2014 @05:11PM (#46984375)

    "GM thinks they'll be drawn to 'a powerful antenna that's stronger than that of a smartphone, along with a Wi-Fi hotspot that operates without draining a mobile device's battery. That hotspot is on any time the car is on.'

    My car also has a 'powerful antenna' for my cellphone and my phone has a Wifi-hotspot and it also doesn't drain the mobile's battery because by cellphone is in its socket and powered by the car battery. I pay 5 bucks a month for unlimited usage already.

    We should we pay twice?

    • I just don't see the cost working out. On top of that if you have the car for 10-20 years it's going to be the same as having an old 8 track. Car NAV systems don't seem to age well, I don't see this keeping up with the times. 5G will be out before too much longer.

      • On top of that if you have the car for 10-20 years it's going to be the same as having an old 8 track.

        This is not part of Detroit's marketing plan. No one owns a car for 10 or 20 years anymore, for the most part, they simply don't last that long. Want to own a car that long? Look to Europe, and maybe buy a Volvo.

        • My daily driver is an 87 F-150 I6 4speed, slow but fuel efficient and can haul a heavy load (my work truck). My wife drives a 96 Explorer, her commute is less than 5 minutes between work and dropping kids off at school. We share a 97 Dodge neon for highway trips, gets 40 MPG with some mods and cheap on parts if your somewhat of a mechanic. Then there is the big work truck a 2006 Dodge 1 ton diesel hardly get used at all unless I need to use the big trailer. None of my vehicles have rust or any body damage,
          • My daily driver is an 87 F-150 I6 4speed, slow but fuel efficient

            AHAHAHAHAHA
            only an American would call 5 Liter 2 ton truck fuel efficient

            My wife drives a 96 Explorer, her commute is less than 5 minutes

            AHAHAHA, I bet your wife is pulling boats to work in her 2 ton truck too, right? No? Groceries? Do they weight 500KG? No ? oh ....

            • Idiots should keep their mouths shut so no one knows how stupid they are. An F-150 in a 1/2 ton truck, mine averages 20mpg. An Explorer is a 1/4 ton truck,and what do you suggest to drop three kids off at school, a Smart car? Let me guess an enviro nutjob like yourself believes in sending perfectly good vehicles to the wreckers because they are last years model and not cool enough. Who cares about the C02 emissions from the manufacture of new vehicles.
              • by Alioth ( 221270 )

                I think the parent meant a truck that *weighs* 2 tonnes, not a truck with a payload of 1/2 ton. Your F150 almost certainly weighs at least 2 tonnes, and so does the Ford Explorer. 20mpg is not considered efficient anywhere except in North America.

              • Why do you need a half ton truck to drop 3 kids off at school? If you like driving trucks, fine. But don't make up nonsense justifications. You don't need that kind of tonnage just to haul children.

                Unless they are gigantic, of course. Honestly the first image that popped into my mind when you made your post was that you had three children the size of gigantic granite boulders and you offload them like gravel. While "Like A Rock" is playing in the background.

        • "... No one owns a car for 10 or 20 years anymore..."

          Each of my Hondas have done at least 10 years. My 1996 Acura is still quit healthy. My 1987 Shadow as well.

          I suspect that no one who reads /. Is in the target demographic. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

        • "... No one owns a car for 10 or 20 years anymore..."

          Each of my Hondas have done at least 10 years. My 1996 Acura is still quite healthy. My 1987 Shadow as well.

          I suspect that no one who reads /. Is in the target demographic. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

        • You are thinking of a Volvo from the 80ies. Current Volvos are Ford (think Ford Focus, not F150 Ford) and not very sturdy.

          • No, Ford sold off their interest in Volvo and it's now owned by Geely in China. The Ford-made Volvos are actually some of the best; they share parts with Mazdas and Fords, and all three brands seem to have benefited a lot from the cooperation. Before Ford came along, Volvos had a lot of reliability problems. Sure, they were safe in an accident, but that's not the same as reliability. The newest Volvos, while Chinese-owned (but made in Sweden or Belgium) have excellent reliability.

      • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) *

        The more forward thinking manufacturers are moving to smartphone mirroring and unlimited for-life data service anyway.

        Toyota and Subaru both offer MirrorLink on their touch screen systems, so you just plug your phone in and use whatever app you prefer for navigation or music. Never gets out of data, uses your existing data plan, costs you nothing. The built-in sat nav unit is there too, with 8 years of updates promised, but you aren't stuck with it.

        Nissan and Tesla offer unlimited mobile data services. Niss

    • by PolygamousRanchKid ( 1290638 ) on Monday May 12, 2014 @05:44PM (#46984743)

      GM got bailed out by the government because it was "too big to fail." Guess what? GM is still "too big to fail."

      They can go ahead and try out any screwball idea they want. If it loses money . . . the government will pick up the tab.

      It's sort of like a venture capital investment operation . . . except the taxpayers get stuck with the losses, and none of the rewards.

      • by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Monday May 12, 2014 @06:09PM (#46984967)

        Privatize profits, socialize losses.

        Capitalism and communism, finally united in harmony.

      • Oh please. Yes, this is probably going to flame out and die, but the losses won't amount to more than a rounding error to GM's bottom line. You don't have to look very hard to find examples of corporations who haven't been bailed out by Uncle Sam tossing money down the sewer.
      • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) *

        GM should have been broken up. As soon as any company gets too big to fail, it needs to either break itself up or have the government step in and take it apart.

        • by rtaylor ( 70602 )

          You don't need to break it up, just increase the tax rate a smidgen on large firms (revenue over $1B?). Call it "bailout insurance" and dump it into a non-profit government managed fund.

          If companies have contributed, then they can make claims at roughly the same scale as they contributed (see government pension plans for a similar setup).

    • This is what happens when a company's first priority is to find a way to make money. This product was built with money as the first principle. If, instead, GM asked what would be best for a customer, they probably would have made a deal with Google and/or Apple to build integration into the car and phone. They wouldn't get $5 a day, but they'd sell more cars.
      • by Nutria ( 679911 )

        This is what happens when ...

        "journalists" write inflammatory headlines and sheeple don't read the article. (If I didn't know better, I'd have sworn I was at theblaze.com!)

        Down in the PR release, it clearly states: For existing AT&T customers, a 4G LTE-equipped GM vehicle can be added to a Mobile Share Plan for $10 per month.

    • In my mind is for that price, it had better be a direct satellite connection. (In which case it would be worth it -- especially if I could get a cheaper cell connection when I'm not out in the boonies.) Sat connections aren't cheap (usually about $1.00/min for a sat phone connection.) But for a cell connection, this price is outrageous....
    • by Cyberax ( 705495 )
      Answer: convenience.

      I actually installed a RPi-based hotspot in my car with a Verizon stick. It's really nice to be able to access Internet on my laptop and non-3G tablet without bothering to activate a hotspot on my phone.
      • by jabuzz ( 182671 )

        And I have a NFC tag that when I drop the phone in the holder, automatically makes sure the Bluetooth is on and the volume is set to max, and the WiFi hotspot is enabled. When removed from the holder the WiFi hotspot is automatically turned off.

    • by bobjr94 ( 1120555 ) on Monday May 12, 2014 @07:50PM (#46985651) Homepage
      No different than the cars that come with xm radio, after the free 3-6 months almost no one continues and pays for a subscription. Many people don't even know about the free trial when they buy their car. My wife's new Subaru supports bluetooth audio, wired ipod/Iphones, usb drives and hd radio. So do many mid-range and up aftermarket radios. You can play internet stations though bluetooth on your phone to the car for no extra charge and what ever songs are in your device's storage. They even shows the audio track tags on the display when on bluetooth or usb.
    • it also doesn't drain the mobile's battery because by cellphone is in its socket and powered by the car battery.

      Shhhhh don't tell them about car chargers or they'll charge us for that too!

  • by faffod ( 905810 ) on Monday May 12, 2014 @05:19PM (#46984465)
    When everything was analogue, you needed a custom device for each service (phone, TV, fax, etc). In the digital era that way of thinking is as archaic as the dinosaur. I do not want an internet connection that might be slightly better than my current phone, only to be left in the dust in a couple of years. I want a system that allows me to add my phone's internet the car seamlessly.
    Yes someone is monetizing my mobile internet; no that doesn't mean that I want everyone monetizing it over and over again.
    • Truly, this wouldn't be GM putting the buggy whip manufacturers out of business, it's GM expecting they can make everyone buy a buggy whip when they already own a car. I guess this is what we get for bailing out stupid companies rather than letting them die.

    • Given all that we know about GM, can someone explain (aside from the obvious political reasons / TBTF), why this company was bailed out? Romney was correct, it should have been allowed to go bankrupt. In addition, the taxpayer still had to eat a $10 billion loss. [forbes.com] GM management was incompetent to the core. This idea is yet another example of it for all of the reasons you list and more.
      • by j-beda ( 85386 ) on Monday May 12, 2014 @06:01PM (#46984897) Homepage

        Given all that we know about GM, can someone explain (aside from the obvious political reasons / TBTF), why this company was bailed out? Romney was correct, it should have been allowed to go bankrupt. In addition, the taxpayer still had to eat a $10 billion loss. [forbes.com] GM management was incompetent to the core. This idea is yet another example of it for all of the reasons you list and more.

        The question is would letting GM go bankrupt have resulted in more than 10 billion in losses in terms of lost payroll taxes and increased social assistance benefits for all of the GM workers and all of the assorted companies that also would have gone under?

        Further down in the linked article is "On all TARP investments to date, including the sale of Treasury’s shares in AIG, the government has recovered a total of $432.7 billion on $421.8 billion disbursed. " so overall, it doesn't look like all the TARP funds were such a bad investment even from a straight purchase-sale calculation.

        Of course, it is much harder to figure out if, long term, this was a good policy - would the economy have been better off to "kill off" the sick or better off in "healing" the sick? Have any of the "sick" been healed or are they still "sick"? Have we ensured similar things don't happen in the future?

        I don't have high hopes for answers to these sorts of questions.

        • The question is would letting GM go bankrupt have resulted in more than 10 billion in losses in terms of lost payroll taxes and increased social assistance benefits for all of the GM workers and all of the assorted companies that also would have gone under?

          The thing is, that's precisely the wrong argument to make. It's actually the opposite of how it works.

          When a company goes bankrupt (chapter 7, liquidation), it doesn't vanish from the economic landscape leaving all its employees without jobs and its

  • with the coffee shop I still get the espresso drinks, so it is a win win.

  • They could work with industry to produce a external antenna protocol for bluetooth - i.e. you tether your phone to the car and utilise the car's antenna for 3G/4G. In addition the phone could act as a hotspot for in car services and other phones in the vehicle. But hey they would be too useful. Instead, pay GM $5 for a proprietary solution instead.
  • $5 Day or Month? (Score:3, Informative)

    by Adam Voss ( 2855793 ) on Monday May 12, 2014 @05:34PM (#46984623)
    The summary mentions both $5 a month and $5 month.

    Glancing at the linked article, it sounds like you can subscribe for as little as $5 a month and get 200 MB for the month. As a non-subscription you can pay $5 for 250 MB for 1 day.

    In both cases there are more expensive tiers offering more data.
    • There are plenty of times when I'd have liked to have rented a hotspot for $5 for the day - one day only - especially if it was a different provider than the one my phone already used.

      I own a little FreedomPop (Sprint) device for emergencies now (on the $4 "rollover" plan), and my personal phone is a GPE HTC One on T-Mo, so I've got the spectrum reasonably well covered in case of emergency.

      • I hit Goodwill (thrift store) and picked up a home Clear branded WiMax modem/wireless router. The thing runs on 12 volts, so a DC cord instead of the wall wart makes it very mobile on a home dataplan. Clear supports bring your own device at $20 Month to Month. I keep it in the motorhome and use it on summer trips. I check for coverage before departing, as not all destinations are covered.

        It just happens to be one of the many options. When using it, I can plug in my VOIP phone adapter too. My mobile of

  • Sounds Familiar (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Virtucon ( 127420 ) on Monday May 12, 2014 @05:34PM (#46984627)

    For over a decade the Automotive industry has been trying to tie mobile Internet access into very rigid platforms that add to the cost of the vehicle. These systems are usually obsolete by the time they make it to market and are not easily upgradable in the field. With the wealth of cell phones and other in-car add-ins (tom tom etc.) The value of these auto industry developed systems becomes less and less important. Sure, there's a "bling" factor to them but don't forget that you'll want it updated to something else about as often as you upgrade your cell phone. That means that supporting things like BlueTooth and USB/iPhone connectivity and integration are where the industry should be, not trying to build out another island of isolated electronics.

    • Car built-in stuff generally isn't worth it. Modern cars can easily last 20 years (my last one did). The inbuilt radio in that car is now positively archaic - FM/AM/LW with a tape player. The same thing will happen to in-car satnav systems, in-car wifi hotspots - within the car's useful life they will fall so far behind they may not even be usable (updates for that satnav? a hotspot that is what 9600 baud WAP over GSM is today when compared to 4G?)

      Today all I want built into the car is an amplifier with som

  • by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 12, 2014 @05:41PM (#46984707)
    Last time I checked, I could already charge my phone in the car. So there goes the "battery drain" argument. And I can use the personal hotspot plan my phone already comes with. No thanks, GM.
  • For maps 200MB is a fair amount, usually you are driving around the same areas and maps are heavily cached (and all of the modern mapping frameworks for mobile devices are vector based so they can send a lot of data for just a little bandwidth).

    In fact T-Mobile today gives you 200MB/month free if you buy a T-Mobile iPad.

    However having a cap is very bad, because maps integrated into a car will be relied on, and if near the end of the month it suddenly shut down it could easily leave you stranded. Hopefully

  • I'm with everyone else pooh-pooing this misguided disservice. It's not for us.

    But, GM is not floating this concept out of sheer ignorance. They already have hooks into a certain collection of consumers who don't know crap and subscribe to OnStar because operating a GPS themselves is too complicated. GM marketing executives are sitting in board rooms laughing at how much money they are still getting out of these subscriptions while cellphones would seem to have made OnStar obsolete. This internet package is
    • the target customer, here, would be the same one that buys a 'smart tv' instead of using a computer and a tv monitor together.

      note: there are more dummies in the world than smart guys. we are a tiny tiny minority in the world.

      • the target customer, here, would be the same one that buys a 'smart tv' instead of using a computer and a tv monitor together.

        note: there are more dummies in the world than smart guys. we are a tiny tiny minority in the world.

        I bought a smart TV. It didn't cost much more than a regular TV - there are plenty in the budget category now. It has hassle-free built-in support for Netflix HD and Amazon Prime HD, both supporting surround sound. I didn't have to spend ages setting up a media PC, leaving it running all the time, showing other people how to use it, stuffing it into an already cramped space.

        There's a difference between being a 'smart guy' and being judgmental to others just because you personally don't see the value in some

    • There are people (I like to call them retards) who buy a new car every 2-3 years... They're not concerned with how much the car costs; only what their monthly payments are... They're not concerned with what gadgets are in the car and how functional or useful those gadgets are going to be in 5 years... As soon as the 'new car smell' fades away, it's time to buy another one... These are the people who will gladly get the internet option...

      (sorry for any retards I've inadvertantly insulted).

    • Think how valuable that chump list is.

    • Some people have OnStar just because of the crash reporting stuff - it's not just for GPS. That's actually a pretty valuable service for someone older or driving alone a lot.

      • Some people have OnStar just because of the crash reporting stuff - it's not just for GPS.

        Although the satellite connection of OnStar offers service in some places you can't get cell phone service, there aren't very many such places.

        So, as long as you have a bluetooth connection in your car, your car can dial your phone when you are in an accident. I know not every car that supports bluetooth has the "crash dial 911" feature, but every Ford sold today does, and I suspect a lot of other manufacturers not named GM are similar.

  • What bugs me about this is that I imagine that anything built into the car that could use internet connectivity will be locked into using the GM $5/day network, even if the widget in question is gaining access via Wifi to the OnStar wifi network and will not allow you to choose your own wifi (mobile hotspot, tethered phone, municipal wifi, etc).

    For some reason I see a bunch of greedy bastards putting internet-aware applications into the car and then trying to squeeze you for the internet to make them work.

  • What is this 1998? A dedicated hotspot in the car? I can buy a portable hotspot that works better and is cheaper for service PLUS has LTE so it will be faster. Oh and It's also on my same phone bill so I have one bill.

    This is more proof that GM is a has-been company that only makes medicore low grade products and is hell bent on staying that way.

    Hey GM, Want to be a leader again? Shot for the highest quality and offer a 10 year 150,000 mile warranty that covers EVERYTHING as standard on your cars. nob

  • Hey GM, you know what car I'd like to buy? A brand new, 1992 Toyota Pickup (Hilux). Brand new. I'd prefer locks and windows that engage manually. I'd prefer that I wasn't beeped at incessantly if my seat belt is not clipped in or my lights are on. I'd also like to have physical switches that control heat, etc.

    I do not want an internet plan.

    I do not want an "infotainment" system.

    I do not want cameras mounted all over.

    I do not want a tailgate that automatically deploys for anything.

    I do not want a steeri

    • There is nothing in an old pickup that can't be put back into like new or better condition. For less then the price of a new truck. (or a then/than troll).

    • Okay, I know, I have a huge lawn that people keep walking on, but really, why is there NOBODY that sells basic vehicles that aren't loaded with all sorts of "safety features" that simply provide a safer way to do unsafe things while you drive? Hell, you can't even buy a light-duty pickup anymore (though they might still classify them as such). I am in a vehicle to move myself and optionally some other materials from point A to point B. I don't need to be entertained. I don't need a computer to tell me how to drive. I just want to go somewhere.

      I'm not sure what you mean by a light duty pickup. Considering your questioning of their availablity, I'd wager you mean something smaller than a "full-size" 1/2 ton truck. If that is the case you have 3 options. 1. Nissan Fronteir 2. Toyota Tacoma and coming back in the fall is 3. Chevy Colorado / GMC Canyon. A new one of these will have way more bells and whistles than that 1992 Toyota.

      You can still order the "work truck" versions of 1/2 ton trucks and get them without all the power options on the seat

      • Are you at ALL familiar with the Hilux they're speaking about? There is a very good reason to want THAT specific pickup over any other. It's immortal.

        See for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... [youtube.com]

        Parts 2 and 3 also available.

      • Frontier, rust magnet. Taco, fucked over Hilux. Chevy, I've known too many Chevys.

        The old Nissan hardbody was also a rust magnet but it came with the unbeatable KA24 engine. The Hilux was nigh-indestructible and trivial to work on. But just say no to Chevy, they're designed to disintegrate and to be a PITA to work on. They use gigantic steel rivets to hold in the window regulators for fuck's sake. Give me a bolt, or an Aluminum rivet, please. PLEASE.

        Only in Latin American markets can you get a decent fuckin

    • Don't forget the Hilux options for "Able to float out to sea and still run afterward" and "building demolition device"

      GM would charge a LOT for those features and they wouldn't actually work.

  • I have a Toyota Prius from the year before the Aux port was added (pisser). But, the one thing I really need, is a place to put the freaking phone. My solution is a phone case and some velcro tape on the center console (on the radio) and on the back of the phone. A few seconds to plugin the charger and stick the the phone to the console.

    No stupid suction cup phone holders that don't stick properly or block visibility or don't fit the phone right so it falls out or whatever.\

    It also works well when I want

    • by geekoid ( 135745 )

      Actually, Velcro was good enough to help kill the crew of the Apollo 1.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A... [wikipedia.org]

      • Bullshit... The Velcro was only flammable in a high O2 atmosphere. Pretty much anything made with hydrogen in it at all will burn in a high oxygen environment. Heck even non-hydrogen containing materials will burn well if the temps get hot enough.

  • comparing everything to coffee?
    "and less than a few espresso drinks"
    or more expensive then a few, depending.

  • "GM thinks they'll be drawn to 'a powerful antenna that's stronger than that of a smartphone, along with a Wi-Fi hotspot that operates without draining a mobile device's battery. That hotspot is on any time the car is on."

    I actually use a 4g modem for my primary home internet. I have a cute little USB-powered fob that acts as a hotspot, and it has an external antenna port if you need a better signal.

    And yes, I take it with me when I go on road-trips - I'd trade it in a heartbeat for "real" broadband a
    • Well, I'm sure the gm board room is full of suits near/past retirement age. They have little knowledge of things like this work. They were likely approached by a mobile internet provider, told we have this great deal for you, you get 30% of sales and all you need to do is put this little box in your cars. You can keep making money on each car after it leaves the show room. They said yes, that's been the problem, we only make money off a car 1 time, when it sold, now we can keep bringing in money for years.
    • So what, exactly, does GM view as its market for this particular scam?

      AOL users. They're out there.

  • Seriously, these companies are gutting themselves trying to figure out how to run up massive profit levels of 20, 50, 100% with enormous executive salaries/bonuses. And yet, here is Tesla who does not advertise ANYWHERE, and yet, they are backed up on sales. So, what do they do? They offer up the service equal to what Rolls Royce used to have, and solving all issues such as expensive batteries, and making long distance charging a none issue (either free, or if you want, you can rent a fully-charged battery
  • Well, it makes sense for GM anyway. The cars with OnStar are already equipped with the expensive part (the cellular modem). It's what OnStar uses. OnStar users are already paying for their data line with their subscription, so that's covered as well (non-OnStar users pay a premium to use the hotspot). Just work out a deal with the cell provider, toss in a cheap WiFi component (that you will pay for in the price of the car) and presto! A virtually no cost added (again, for GM) revenue source. The user p
  • Some sort of standardized magnetic mount
    QI Charging
    Wifi Link or some standard to link to displays that can work on existing phones
    Bluetooth, handsfree, audio, steering wheel controls, vehicle information
    Some Wifi accessible storage

    All potentially open standards.

    Past that a Bluetooth GPS might be useful.

    Lets face it phones update every couple years cars not so much. Pretty much a 1080p touchscreen and some bluetooth and let people with a clue deal with powering it.

  • Has GM seen a modern mobile device? Oh they are magical things indeed! Maps, GPS, instant messaging, email, music streaming, podcasts, MP3s, even streaming live TV and video, almost anywhere.

    And with bluetooth, all of that can be streamed right into the car audio system. Or you can use an aux cable, truly the tail of the magic fairy.

    The best part, all of that is included with my phone plan. As much as a I want. Oh sure there's a cap, but exceeding it by a huge margin still wouldn't hit this $150 a m

  • I wouldn't pay for internet in the car. I wouldn't have internet in the car if it was free. There are times when I just want to be away from idiotic SPAM, endless trivia and other distractions, and one of those times is when I drive a car. In fact, I'd prefer if everybody else on the road also stayed away from unnecessary distractions and concentrated on driving safely.

  • With discounts, I can rent a whole car for $10 a day. Why the fuck would I spend this much for additional internet? Hell, I can already utilize my smart phone or iPad (3g) from the vehicle.

  • yet another in car distraction, courteous of GM. Looks to me like a solution trying to find a problem. What, exactly, would one do with in-car internet? Catch up on the latest House of Cards episode while barrelling down the freeway at 70 mph? Fill in your fantasy football picks? While driving....in a car....possibly at high speed...certainly with a lot of distractions.

    Do you think that maybe, just maybe, we could leave the internet behind until we're done driving? It's one thing to be surfing the web over

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