No four words can better sum-up the impatience and frustration of a family road trip. This is made even more frustrating by the knowledge that the child asking this question is often well aware of the answer.
Family vacations can be a wonderful bonding experience and a way to create memories that last a lifetime. But getting to the desired location isn’t always such a joy. The constant commotion from the backseat can become a strain after just five minutes, let alone five hours.
In the past, parents might have tried playing music or a book on tape as a way to keep their children’s minds occupied during a long car ride. But those options typically had a shelf life, only holding the youngsters’ attention for as long as the audio played. And even kids who loved to read quietly at home often found it difficult to do so in a moving car without beginning to feel queasy. Inevitably, when children began to grow bored they would start to bicker amongst themselves and, fairly soon, begin asking that age-old question.
However, 4G LTE connectivity in cars is changing the game for parents. This robust connectivity enables children to use their mobile devices to consume a variety of content from across the Internet, including television shows, movies, video games and articles from online publications. Automobile manufacturers like Chevy, Audi and GM have already begun including 4G LTE connectivity in many of their models and numerous other car companies are likely to follow suit in the near future. Additionally, AT&T recently announced that it would be developing exclusive content for connected cars, including television series that are only accessible from inside the vehicle.
Parents who drive cars with built-in 4G LTE connectivity may experience a strange sensation on their next road trip. As they travel, they may begin to notice that they aren’t hearing the usual sounds from the backseat: siblings bickering, struggling for space and, of course, the infamous “are we there yet?”
As they turn around to investigate, they may rest their eyes on an unfamiliar scene—their children sitting quietly, playing a game on a tablet or watching a movie on a laptop. After the initial shock wears off, these parents will likely to begin to appreciate this new sound—silent contentment.
Now, doesn’t that sound nice?