mbrace

Have you ever dreamed about the day, that your mobile phone can lock, unlock, and even send a signal to open your trunk?  Well, the application developers at Mercedes Benz USA have launched a brand new app which is available for select smart-phones.  This is "mbrace".  Anyone familiar with the expired "TeleAid", will have inside knowledge of the technology.

TeleAid was exclusive to all Mercedes Benz models with a 2001 or later model year, and it provided basic roadside assistance functions.

One of the new features of "mbrace" is the new Mercedes Benz mobile application.  The application has been designed for iPhones and Blackberry devices only, and are available in both the App Store and Blackberry App World.  Two of the most notable features of the application is the vehicle finder and remote door unlock/lock feature.  In order to use these two functions, customers have to launch the app on the mobile phone, enter their account number and a PIN, and then can have access of their key.  Customers can now control basic key functions from their smartphone.  By pressing any of the buttons (a simulated photo of the SmartKey appears on the screen) and then they can connect to a server, which will send a signal to the vehicle which designates which function to preform.  The same is true for the Vehicle finder; the car sends a signal to a server once a command is issued on the smart-phone to remember the location of the vehicle, and then is stored in the smartphone and can be referenced later.  

While this technology could virtually eliminate a key, there are many dangers and new technologies to come from this mbrace.  What are the security features for this?  Can someone (other then an owner) obtain a Mercedes ID, and unlock the car?  What does this mean for the future of automotive technology?  Will we no longer have keys/push button starts, and just via a mobile phone be required to turn a car on?  

Only time will tell.  It will be interesting to follow this possible, revolutionary technology.