Don't even think of surfing the Net while you're driving, but... the 2010 Audi A8 will be what is believed to be the first vehicle to feature a factory-installed mobile hotspot, Marvell and Harman announced Monday.

The companies have come together to bring a built-in WLAN module to the car that enables high-speed online and Internet access via cellular link or Bluetooth. The 802.11 (WPA2) hotspot will support up to eight devices, including smartphones, digicams, laptops, tablets, and portable gaming devices.

"I believe today's consumers want the convenience of seamless connectivity and live content whenever and wherever they choose--whether in the home, office, classroom or automobile...finally, the car is connected to the rest of our lives," said Weili Dai, Marvell co-founder and vice president and general manager of the consumer and computing business unit. In other words, we live in a world that morphs itself to our geekiness; why shouldn't that happen with the cars we drive?

The 2010 Audi A8 with Marvell Mobile Hotspot technology is now available in Europe, the companies said in a press release. The Audi A5 and A8 are already counted among the most connected cars on the market.

Click the title for the source