So, here’s a heaping spoonful of awesome: Viper has released a SmartStart application for iPhone that lets you turn on your car, get the heat or A/C started, lock and unlock the doors, pop the trunk, or sound the alarms from any location within wireless coverage – no line of sight necessary. While I would be a little concerned about security, since it’s not like you would be able to immediately call SmartStart (or the police) if your iPhone got swiped, the novelty value on this is huge. I know in Canada we need lots of time to warm up the car before riding out in the winter, and SmartStart would save the pain of having to leave the house to do it.
Grab the iPhone app for free from iTunes, just remember that you need one of their proprietary modules from Best Buy that cost a wooping $499.99 ($299.99 if you already have a Viper system), plus $29.99/year after the first year. Painful on the wallet, but high on the style.