After a couple days of wandering the exhibition halls at CeBIT, a lot of the mobile communications gadgets on display begin to look alike; they all feature auto-dialing, compatibility with next-generation wireless technologies like GPRS and Bluetooth, even modules for global positioning systems and digital cameras. For a few products, however, the standard package includes all this, along with airbags, five-speed manual transmission and leather.

Welcome to the world of telematics -- the term comes from telecommunications and informatics -- where new communications technologies are applied to the everyday automotive experience. In the near future, some manufacturers believe, we can expect our cars to autmatically notify us of traffic problems and guide us around them; let us know when they're running low on fuel and where the nearest gas station is; and even read us our emails and take a dictated reply.

Nokia, in collaboration with automotive designer Bertone, has created a concept car named Filo which uses various mobile technologies to keep the driver in touch with the world outside the car. A global positioning system pinpoints the car's location, while internal sensors connected via a wireless Bluetooth network keeps track of the vehicles diagnostics. A screen in the steering wheel displays this information for the driver, as well as maps, possible traffic hazards and weather conditions updated over the internet. IBM and CAA AG, a specialist in developing vehicular information systems, have built their integrated telematics solution into a sleek Porsche Boxter. Using IBM's ViaVoice technology, the driver can dictate commands to the computer and have it read back emails or directions downloaded from the net. It also features an ergonomic control panel on the middle armrest and a display screen in the dashboard for downloading maps and surfing the web. The car communicates to the Internet using the HSCSD, a new data-transfer system which works over the GSM network and offers download speeds approaching those of a standard landline modem.

The technology involved here might seem more James Bond than Joe Commuter, but most of these features are either already available or can be built using tried-and-tested wireless technology. And it's no small business, either: UBS Warburg predicts that the automotive telematics market could grow to nearly $47 billion by 2010. But the real fun begins when the outside developers join in: as more applications come to market, the car's own telematics can interact with other devices -- automatically paying for tolls, fuel and even parking tickets (no word yet on whether the last is an optional feature). In the future, your car could even plan your itinerary, remind you to get gas before leaving, and estimate your time of arrival and book cinema tickets for a convenient showing when you arrive. Technology to make the driver ahead of you switch off his right-turn indicator, alas, is still under development.