Leader: Driven by in-car connectivity

There has long been all manner of semiconductors and software in cars and other autos. But we sense we are on the verge of something far beyond engine diagnostics and other 'under the hood' tech.

Connecting digital music players - normally the ubiquitous iPod - to car dashboards (is share their music collections all these youngsters want to do?) has become a feature of TV car advertising. And that will continue.

Amongst a wider agreement that came to light at the end of last week between Fiat and Microsoft, we heard how your average dashboard will have USB ports.

That's great for entertainment but we know in-car tech can be used for so much more (above and beyond helping you drive). Satellite navigation falls somewhere in between necessity and luxury for many these days (more necessity for a lot of drivers in London, it seems) and units are flying off the shelves.

We'll see ever-more realistic mapping and more intuitive user interfaces and voices. Volkswagen working with Google Maps is evidence of that ambition.

However, the big leap will come as all sorts of wireless standards become integrated with your four wheels of choice.

Imagine RFID and other contactless chips for road toll payments - the sort of payments that are happening now in some cities and will be done via satellite in the future, we predict. Imagine Bluetooth or other personal area connectivity within the car, wi-fi for 'info-fuelling' as you stop at petrol stations or more humble cellular data for these and other uses. (Did someone say machine-to-machine communications?)

This sounds like the same old dream we have been hearing for years. It is, kind of. Only now the technologies seem to be either here or close and auto-makers have been forced by saturated markets and demanding drivers to innovate.

The enlightened are talking about the 'four screens of life' - the environments that cover pretty much all our always-on moments. When you can't look at one, you can view another. These constitute your PC, your mobile, your TV and - you guessed it - your car. Never thought of it that way? For business and private use, you soon will.