Muthukumar, an auto parts dealer insists on taking clients to his Ranipet factory in his car. It is a three-hour drive and he says he clinches the deal even before the car enters the factory gates. His formula: marry the ergonomic comfort of the car interior to the connectivity of technology.
Once settled in the car, he flips open a plugged-in laptop. As the client checks out the products, PPT and factory interiors unfolding in 3D, Muthukumar heats up water for cups of choco-mocha. He has iced soda in the car's mini fridge, but he's proud of his coffee. If the client nods, he can quickly fix him a tub of noodles on a pulled-out hotplate. He has the bluetooth on to give instructions to the factory ahead. The client meanwhile is browsing and e-mailing, no doubt comparing prices. Sophisticated antennas allow stock quotes to scroll on the TV screen in front, soothing music floats through “surround sound”, the air-conditioning is automatically controlled. Kumar isn't sure what seals the deal — the quality of hospitality, the quotation or the connectivity.
The car is the new executive workplace, where commute and conference coalesce. “I do 60 per cent of my work in the car,” said a government official on a Chennai mission. “Driving to Bengaluru, I check mail, send instructions to subordinates, data to bosses. My Nokia N85 stays tethered to the laptop. Working in the car is the solution to the time and energy crunch.” He's particularly happy files get processed in just an hour. “I'm now twice as efficient.” From ordering containers of goods from Thailand, China and the U.S., to sending sutharpeni and malpua abroad, innumerable deals are struck from a speeding Toyota, he said.
“Vista and Manza (Winger?) are designed for executives to work while on the move,” said MP Arul, Tata Motors. Vista's power outlet helps passengers charge laptops and mobiles, big glove box accommodates a mini laptop and pen/coin/card holder. The music system is bluetooth-enabled. “Called Blue 5 it can pair five different mobiles at a time. Customers drive and speak without touching the mobile phone.” The special storage tray under the co-driver's seat has room enough for jogging shoes and water bottles. Manza has all this plus a complete fuel/mileage information system, audio/mobile-phone controls on the steering wheel, and a 60:40 split in the rear passenger seat for golf equipment. Forget bhp and torque, it is business equipment that'll make your wheels road-worthy.
“Even a WagonR can be outfitted with many of these facilities, thanks to miniaturisation,” said Venkatraman of Sandhya Accessories. So who needs a Benz with its original fridge? “You'll be considered “peculiar” if your car doesn't have Wi-Fi and bluetooth. With a 1000-Watt inverter for cooking, plug-in USB for music, video games, GSP cross-border navigation, 4/6-way speaker and a remote for all the gadgets, the car is for work, entertainment and refreshment.”
Caravans like the ones used for “Enthiran” shoots come fitted with chemical toilets. “Fit in that electronic box, set power on economy mode, go from Chennai to Goa non-stop,” he said. With gadgets fit for James Bond.
It's “telework”, a working-from-anywhere concept, whose next level — the wireless broadband Internet onramp — is probably here. The WavBoard wireless router, easily mounted in a glove compartment, connects Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network at 400Kbps, to laptop, printer/copier and internet over Wi-Fi. Kumar will be able to give prospective buyers a live videocam tour of his factory and chat through Skype's toll-free phone service. He will soon buy accessories to make docking/undocking the tools easier as he dashes in and out of his mobile office. Is there a short-range wireless network in the market?
The future is mind-boggling: voice-dialling a cell phone, incoming calls automatically muting music, answering through a steering-wheel button, in-dash information displays for safe access to in-vehicle communication and navigation systems, transparent images of maps on the wind-shield, car-top antenna packages with combinations of cellular, GPS, Wi-Fi and WiMAX.
The low cost will be its major attraction, feels Rush Parekh, Team-BHP. Converting a sedan into a mobile office with a laptop shelf, power socket and mobile internet will become mandatory. Upmarket, you refurbish a Tempo Traveller (or similar vehicle) into a full-fledged office where four/five people can “travel-and-work”. “Whatever it is, make sure the car is chauffeur-driven,” he warns.
The future
* Wi-Fi/3G router, 1Mbps Bluetooth
* Three-piece wireless USB keyboard; built-in mouse pad programmed to control software applications and audio/video devices.
* Docking platform for laptop at eye level; 4 USB 2.0 ports for wireless keyboard, mouse, printer.
* Auto adapters for mobile electronics.
* VIA C3 processor-based PC using car's power supply for storage and wireless connectivity.
