You've probably heard about Onstar, the vehicle GPs from General Motors (GM). They've been getting a lot of press lately about their continual drive to make this service quicker, easier, and more all-inclusive. Recently GM announced that they'll be switching the technology they use from a Web based platform to a service-oriented architecture (SOA). For those of you who are less tech savvy, this basically means that they're streamlining their software to make room for an increased number of more efficient customer calls. In addition to the benefits Onstar customers will receive, GM will also reap benefits from the switch by saving a whole bunch of money . . . we're talking millions, if not billions of dollars over a period of a couple years.

If you're not familiar with the Onstar program, allow us to fill you in. Onstar was started in 1995 by GM, EDS, and Hughes Electronics Corporation. Each of these companies played their own role in Onstar's development with GM providing the vehicles, EDS supplying the systems development, information management, and customer services, and Hughes Electronics working on the satellite technology and vehicle electronics. Onstar's official debut was at the 1996 Chicago Auto Show, and released the first Onstar equipped vehicles (1997 Cadillac DeVille, Seville, and Elderado models) less than a year later. Over the last ten years Onstar has managed to acquire almost four million customers and numerous awards. In 2005, Onstar won three Telematics Update Awards and the highly desired 21st Century Achievement Award from the Computerworld Honors Program. In February of 2005 they reached their 500-millionth minute mark, and managed to increase their sales by 30 percent over 2004. GM has announced that they plan to include the Onstar service in all of their U.S. and Canadian vehicles by 2007, hoping to capture more buyers who are looking to purchase vehicles from auto leaders like Toyota and Honda.

As more and more users subscribe, Onstar is being perceived less a feature that people "like to have" and is being seen more as a necessity. Their emphasis on customer safety makes them an obvious choice for families, and they've capitalized on the desire parents have to keep their kids safe. Onstar partnered up with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 2004, and reminded customers to "buckle up" during the National "Click it or Ticket" and "Buckle Up America" campaigns. They've also been heralded for retrieving stolen vehicles that contained children, and helped the police capture an FBI fugitive on America's Most Wanted. In addition, Onstar is branching out, meeting the needs of many. They offer a TTY helpline for subscribers who are hard of hearing, deaf, or speech impaired, in addition to offering their services in English, French, and Spanish.

Onstar's commitment to customer care can be most readily seen in their advertising campaign. In these commercials on both TV and radio, potential customers hear stories about how Onstar saved a life, or made an unpleasant situation less bad (think locking your keys out of the car in -20 degree weather). And these stories aren't just fluff. Many Onstar customers have come forward to testify the value of this service, citing examples like "mom got into a car accident in the middle of nowhere and was unconscious, but I knew I was supposed to push the blue Onstar button." This story came from a seven year old boy and remains one of the most heart-string tugging Onstar experiences to date. Onstar was also there in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, providing free telecommunications, route support, and emergency assistance to thousands of subscribers who were relying on Onstar as their only means of communication with the outside world.

If you feel like Onstar is too fancy or too expensive, think again. They offer a couple different programs equipped with slightly different features (and prices). Their basic program, Safe and Sound, runs about $17.00 per month and provides services like Accident Assist where Onstar will offer instructions on what to do following a minor accident; Air Bag Deployment Notification: here Onstar can tell as soon as an airbag deploys and will work to communicate with the driver or send emergency help if it's needed; Roadside Assistance, Remote Door Unlock, Stolen Vehicle Tracking, and Driving Directions to name a few. Their higher end service, Directions and Connections, includes all of the features that Safe and Sound offers as well as Hands Free Calling and Virtual Advisor that will offer weather and traffic reports in addition to stock quotes for about $35.00 per month.

While Onstar's goal is to make their drivers feel more secure, some people think that they're the first step towards an Orwellian "1984" future. The idea that someone always knows where you are and can contact you at any time is kind of like living with Big Brother. So, if you don't like the feeling of being tracked, we would suggest that you don't subscribe to their service. People are entitled to their privacy and we respect that, but Onstar can do some pretty helpful stuff. Some people really like the feeling that someone is there with them, in fact, Onstar receives plenty of personal calls from drivers who are simply lonely. In our increasingly automated world it's kind of nice to know that you're only a button push away from another human being.