BMW and HP to make Wi-Fi Beemers for high-flying execs

BMW and HP are buddying up to provide the latest in executive toys - a car that comes with its own wireless LAN in the back.

The car, which also comes with Bluetooth thrown in, is aimed at politicians and top execs who want to use their tablet PCs to surf the net and send emails when being chauffeured around.

The car can connect via GSM or GPRS and has roaming to boot for the cost conscious exec - though one would suspect that anyone who can afford a chauffer-driven BMW wouldn't be overly cost conscious.

No pricing information is available and the car isn't yet on sale but the two companies hope to see it hit forecourts soon. The theory is that the technology should make its way down to lower-end models in the future, with salespeople using their PDAs to get connected.

Tunnels shouldn't pose too much of a problem either, with the set-up designed to keep all applications "in a state where they think they're connected" if the signal drops out, an HP spokesman said.

One other application for the in-car technology might not prove so popular. The manufacturers speculate that the system might interest the police - so that they can catch drivers speeding and put a ticket in the post via the network in seconds.