The in-dash CD player just might be poised to go the way of the eight-track tape deck. Coming soon: an in-dash computer that can accept wireless downloads of songs-and even movies-from your home or office. You would drag files to an icon on your PC's desktop representing your vehicle's entertainment center, and a wireless Internet connection using the popular Wi-Fi standard would beam the data to your parked vehicle.

Moving tunes to cars "is the killer app" for wireless vehicle technologies, says Bob Schumacher, head of the Kokomo, IN-based wireless business unit of Delphi, a major auto supplier. "It'll be like having a jukebox in your car." Indeed, Phil Magney, principal analyst for the Telematics Research Group in Minnetonka, MN, says drivers will want Wi-Fi in their cars for the same reasons "they want broadband on their computer": to quickly get video and music.