Has GOT to be bluetooth...intergration with the cell phone and the GPS unit would be a must - and GPS integration with Skype even better!

For a driver:
- driving, voice only
- congestion, talk to me ;)
- geographic coordinates (from GPS) with link to Google Maps (or similar)
- ability to trace route of a car on a map

Here is what I would
Voice activated/ bluetooth controls
Auto brighness controls
Camera controls for driver/ passenger
Noise cancellation for driving noise
Social networking features - share GPS location

If it is integrated in the central console it should use appropriately sized graphics to allow the driver not to be distracted while making a call. Better yet it would be to use voice commands.
-A quick way of searching, locating and contacting local businesses (gas station, emergency services, restaurants, hotels).
-A "friends in the area" facilty, displaying also the friend's status (availability and willingness to meet (this would probably require new presence indicators).
-Integration with GPS/car navigation.
-Skype "entertainment" like a Skype radio -In car camera (the driver can be shown but shouldn't be able to see the person he is talking too while driving). Cameras covering other seats and exterior should be selectively turned on/off (those that show the outside might pose a privacy concern in some countries).
-Option to call the car manufacturer help desk with ability to send diagnostics/location.
-Automatic call activation in case of an accident. This would call predefined emergency numbers and would allow communication even if the driver is immobilized or unconscious (in this case the camera could display his condition and the car could transmit position information (upside down ecc.)). Could also call relatives.
-Automatic broadcast call to all skype-enabled cars in the area with traffic info or accident info. Something like a "warning an accident occurred 2 miles ahead, slow down" message.
-Mesh up with podcast and videopodcast sites providing tourist information for the area.

With link to GPS, possibility to define a route and select video cameras on the way to see how dense the traffic is
possibility also to select point of interests like resting areas near highways or restaurants and view online cameras
of course possibility to call restaurant on the way and make reservation + choose menu so that it's ready when you arrive

Wow, this is cool!
I like to fix 5 mini cameras on my car,

1.Focusing the driver and passengers (Cam 1)
2.Focusing the front side road (Cam 2)
3.Focusing the backside road in the backside (Cam 3)
4.And two other cams focusing right and left side of the car (Cam 4 and 5)

Then, I would like to connect these cams with my smartphone/pocket PC and have software to control and switch the videos from each camera. Not only this, I also like to have a GPS connected to the same pocket PC and switch GPS display too.

After assembling all these perfectly, I like to use Skype to make video calls to call my friends while I am on a safari tour. Here the benefits are, I can switch the video cams (5 cam+GPS) and show it to my caller. They could travel with me where ever I go!

We could apply this to racing too! How about with zooming lenses in the cams with full controls in pocket PC? Crazy ah?!

A TODO list attached to sjype with all the things that you would want to do on your way home or work. Skype with GPS integration should prompt the driver if he is coming close to one of the stores that is part of his todo list. This store list can be accessed from the SkypeFind directory.

Voice Activation
GPS based mashup with Google Maps
Integration with some GPS based social network to connect with friends

GPS would be a must. Bluetooth and voice dialing would also be nice. Maybe Skype reminders from your car for vehicle maintenance. Find vehicle location by Skype contact from a desktop computer at home.

I would have it measure your average speed and the frequency of stopping and accelerating. Using this info, I would make a mood icon for "no mood" if there was too much stop and go, "happy" if the speed were good and the braking was minimal, and "frustrated" (steam coming out of ears and eyes bulging) if the stop and go were too frequent and the speed was under 20MPH.

Hi!

It is definitely a great idea! I would love to have a "car" status icon, "On the road!" message... It would be great to have a Voice controlled Skype interface!

Philip Seyfi, fs-studio.eu

I like the idea of things like my car talking to me. Ring, ring. "I need gas soon." "Time to schedule an oil change." "Hey, stop tailgating!" Other things could call me too. "As long as you're out driving, could you pick up some milk?" asked my refrigerator.

There is a great deal of features I'd want in an in-car Skype system, but realistically, I don't want to pay for the high price for those features. So here's my description of the basic system I'd go for:

-Two main parts to the system would include mounting cradle and detachable receiver.
-Mounting cradle would could be attached to vents, to dashboard, or to other surfaces.
-Mounting cradle would serve as connection point for DC adapter, external antenna, and either tape adapter or line-in cable for connecting to stereo system, and optional external microphone. Two USB ports could allow for more connections.
-Camera would be mounted to cradle and could be rotated to show driver and passenger as well as path in front of car.
-Main unit would have a similar form factor to current wi-fi phones, but would be slightly larger to allow for a larger display.
-Main unit and mounting cradle would be connected through Bluetooth, but main unit would charge through additional plug connections.
-Bluetooth connection would also allow connection to cell phones for transfer of contacts and other information.
-Mounting cradle would do the bulk of processing for system, serving as the GPS receiver and broadband interface/receiver.
-Features included would be phone service, GPS navigation, video conferencing, local places database, friends list with distance sorting capability, voice recognition, travel logging with camera, and other information features made available with the use of bots.
-Lots of other fun features could be optional and downloaded to memory, with the possibility of an open source OS allowing for greater expansion.

I think these are the basics the system would need and assuming much more would assume a high cost that would put the system out of reach of the average consumer. I'm sure there are details I could be forgetting, but if something like this were ever to be built, it would require simplicity and expandability.

P.S. I'm in the Central Time Zone and I have no idea whether you've already given all the prizes away.

I think its a pretty sweet idea!

I've used skype in my car.
For me, handsfree was key. I used a usb headset plugged into my laptop.
Voice tags associated with the contacts would be awesome! Voice commands would also help navigate the interface.

Perhaps a new status indicator with the skype logo and an arrow could indicate mobile skype.

I love it! I would like to have built in "weather reports and updates" also "current traffic reports and delays" "GPS" capability, hook ups with local radio and tv stations. For Skype status I would like to see a Skype Me I'm: "bored" "lonely" "having a bad day" and hey, thanks for a cool contest! Skype rocks!

Voice activation is a must. If we can put skype on a wi-fi phone, why not put skype into the car stereo system?

As for statuses:
1. In Car
2. In Traffic
3. Pulled over for speeding
4. Road Rage!
5. LET'S RACE! -in this mode, skype is multi-player game, do a map mashup, and then race your opponent and trash-talk via skype!

GPS of Course with Speech Commands.
Dreaming?

Voice dialing and status based on GPS location.

Phil,

I think the system would be cool if it had automatic pan and tilt like the Polycom video conferencing rigs. So, when someone speaks, the system points the camera at the speaker.

I thought an external camera for observing the world around the car would be cool too.

Cheers,
Steve

US Eastern Time . . .

So, who were the winners?

I posted the five winners, but thanks for reminding me to close the loop in this thread.

The five contest winners: Dylan Kissane, Lyon, France; Rajendra Pandey, NSW, Australia; "Yogu" Umasankar Yogeswaran, Taipei, Taiwan; Pavan Mullapudi, Sunnyvale, California; Doug Sink, Battle Creek, Michigan.

organize a skype die out contest. the cuteness of skype is not enough anymore to pull it.