Now the iPhone Can Lock and Start Your Car

A car security company has one-upped that wonderful key fab we've all become accustomed to for locking our car and starting it remotely by bringing those capabilities to the iPhone and iPod touch in a free application.

The Viper SmartStart is now a free application at the Apple App Store and illustrates just how much the smartphone gadget is continually replacing other devices users once relied upon for specific needs.

Users can lock, unlock and start the car, and even open the trunk, as well as hit a panic alarm if necessary, just with a few quick fingertip touches. And it works on multiple vehicles as well.

Of course you have to have SmartStart installed in your car to make it work. If you happen to lose or damage your iPhone or iPod, don't worry, as the company also provides the good old key fab as a backup to users, according to a press release.

But what's even neater is that in the near future, iPhone and iPod users will also have the ability to know if the car alarm has been triggered, a handy feature if you're not in earshot of the alarm screech we hear regularly on city streets.

Yet, as one software reviewer noted, the iPhone application access is free under limited use within the annual product service plan. And as some other users noted, the overall technology itself can be considered a bit pricey (two Viper SmartStart models are available starting at $499).

But for some, the convenience of warming up a car from any location can be pretty gratifying on cold winter mornings. The same for cooling off a car that's been sitting in the blazing heat for a day. And the software's range is much greater than a key fab capability, according to the company.

"The growth and popularity of the iPhone has opened the door for a whole new category of products in our business," said Kevin Duffy, president of Directed Electronics, in a statement. "Our customers have consistently told us that the two most important features in a remote starter are range and user interface. We developed the Viper SmartStart in response; range is virtually unlimited, and iPhone owners can use the elegant touch-screen interface they already carry in their pocket."

Photo courtesy of Directed Electronics