AutoBlog: GM testing OnStar Facebook and texting functionality

AutoBlog: GM testing OnStar Facebook and texting functionality

General Motors is ready to bring the fight to Ford's Sync system with a reworked version of OnStar, but the salient details won't be revealed for another seven days. However, we've gotten word from the General that it's testing two new features: Audio Facebook updates and voice texting.

On the Facebook front, GM is the experimental phase of integrating OnStar with the 800-pound social media gorilla, allowing users to verbally update their Facebook status via audio recordings, with the possibility of utilizing the OnStar Virtual Advisor feature to read off Facebook status updates and news feeds.

Voice texting works in a similar manner, pairing the driver's Bluetooth mobile phone to OnStar and allowing the system to read received SMS messages and reply using a voice command to select four pre-set messages. That's not true voice-to-text functionality, but it's similar to what's being offered by other automakers.