The first ‘M’ in M2M isn’t always a machine; it’s a wireless-enabled device. In this case it’s a wireless-enabled car and if you can afford it, it could become the “fourth screen” in your life, the others being your TV, PC, and mobile phone.

I covered this development in a short news item titled “LTE on Wheels” in November 2009 and earlier this year I began to wonder if “independently operated touch screens coupled with software that provide access to multiple applications and forms of content” was just more LTE hype. Earlier this month I was able to find out because seeing is either believing or not believing and Alcatel-Lucent had a proof of concept car — a Toyota Prius — on display at an LTE event in Amsterdam.

Let’s cut to the chase. I was ready to become a believer when I saw the screens and a few minutes into a demo I was convinced. Unfortunately I can’t include screen shots in this blog but they will come in an upcoming issue of Connected World magazine so I’ll try and convince you with words.

There are four high-res touch screens measuring (just under 8 inches wide and 7.75 inches high) driver, front passenger, and two passengers in the rear. The driver’s screen goes off when the car is started. Rather than list the functionality, imagine that you are going on a long trip with your partner and two young kids: kids who you know are going to get bored and irritable.  Via the driver’s screen you can check oil level and tire pressures: in this case get a nice graphical display of the car chassis, engine and wheels, and if one tire is low it’s displayed and you see it immediately.

OK. You’re set. Minutes later the kids decide they want to watch a DVD. Your son wants an action movie and your daughter doesn’t. Not a problem, LTE has more than enough bandwidth to stream video applications to four screens simultaneously. They listen in using Bluetooth headsets. Meanwhile the front passenger is listening to music and checking up on directions using the built-in SatNav system.

After a while the kids want to play an interactive game, which they download from the Internet. They can play against each other or a friend. There’s more than enough bandwidth to run games and videos simultaneously, or rather, there will be enough bandwidth in a couple of years when LTE services are rolled out nationwide.

The LTE Connected Car is a physical manifestation of the vision behind the ng Connect Program, which Alcatel-Lucent co-founded in 2009, and at the time of writing there were roughly 35 members around the world. Areas covered include: applications and software vendors and hosts; device manufacturers, including consumer electronics, handset manufacturers, and others; automotive OEMs and suppliers; content creators, owners and aggregators; network equipment providers; and academia.

Members who participated in “the most connected” car were: Toyota (vehicle); Alcatel-Lucent (infrastructure); ONX (software platform); and six vendors of content and applications. You can check out the program at www.ngconnect.org