General Motors is getting on board with the latest smartphone and mobile computing technology. OnStar, the onboard vehicle assistance and GPS  servic available on most Chevrolet vehicles, is going to team up with Google's Android operating system on smartphones.

The first supported devices to be announced will be those that use the Android software from Google, like the Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Incredible. The service will still be done through OnStar, with the company taking a role in developing its own apps to work with GM vehicles.

"We want to make smartphones work seamless with the connectivity of OnStar," explained Chris Preuss, president of OnStar. Mr. Preuss also stated that OnStar wanted to ensure safety of such new smartphone applications and believed the best way to do that was development the software themselves.

"Of course, there are almost innumerable things we can do, but the more we can do before they get into the car, the safer they are," Mr. Preuss said.

So what will be the first vehicle out of the gate to connect with Android applications? The upcoming Chevrolet Volt, GM's much-anticipated plug-in hybrid.

Initially, OnStar will be utilize advanced navigation features that use Google's voice-based search, mapping and routing functions. There will also be a "find-my-car" function for people unable to locate their parked cars, as well as a "nearest gas station" feature.