Alcatel, Toyota Tout 'Smartphone' Car

New York (TheStreet -- Alcatel-Lucent(ALU) and Toyota(TM) are touting in-car multimedia technology as the future of mobile broadband.

Working with Toyota and QNX Software, Alcatel has built what it describes as an "LTE Connected Car," bristling with a vast array of Internet applications. The 2010 Prius has four touchscreens, two in the dashboard, and two behind the front seats, which offer a wealth of different services.

"We wanted to show what is possible with next-generation mobile networks," Derek Kuhn, vice president of emerging technology, told TheStreet during a technology demo Tuesday in New York. The company has even described the tricked-out Prius as a "smartphone on wheels."

Long Term Evolution (LTE), or 4G technology, will expand the speed and capacity of mobile networks when it is deployed over the coming years, and Alcatel claims that a car is the perfect place to showcase its benefits.

With younger consumers, in particular, expecting ubiquitous high-speed Web access, the souped-up Prius offers roughly 50 applications, including a music streaming service from Atlantic Records, children's computer games developed by Kabillion, and Google's(GOOG) YouTube offering.

"We're trying to throw the kitchen sink at this," said Kuhn, explaining that cars present a "captive audience" for content specialists such as Kabillion and application developer Chumby. Atlantic Records is already offering its "Fanbase" application in the LTE Connected Car, offering information, interviews and music clips of artists such as Rob Thomas.

The car also offers GPS and in-car WiFi, according to Alcatel, and could even boost safety by sharing information between cars, according to Steve West, Alcatel's senior director for emerging technology.