Re: Isn't that fairly available already?
Yes, there have been all sorts of OBD-II readers, laptop dongles, and so forth for ages. I remember one that plugged into a Palm Pilot, and there have been PC-Card versions. These days you can get USB ones with smartphone apps. I have a cheap OTS OBD-II reader that I mostly use to reset the "Check Engine" light in older cars.
This is old hat. It's likely older than a number of people reading the article.
Note OBD-II has been required in the US since 1996, and OBD-I dates back to '91, though OBD-I wasn't standardized and so there wasn't much in the way of third-party devices for it. It's only in Europe that it only applies to "[c]ars manufactured since the turn of the millennium".
Biting the hand that feeds IT
