I realize I may be showing my age here, but there was once a time when it was super cool to have a Viper alarm for your car, if for no other reason than how it would say “Protected by Viper, Stand back” when someone got a little closer than they needed to be.

Since then however, at least in my mind that is not quite as cool as it once used to be and given that the Viper alarm (at least in my opinion) has become just another option when considering a car alarm.

That said, things change and I now have this desire to get a Viper alarm for my car. Of course, that desire was triggered by the fact that I will be able to control my alarm from my iPhone.

Yup, Viper has just introduced an app that will allow you to lock, unlock, pop your trunk, hit the panic button and even start your car — all from your iPhone.

This does come with a little barrier to entry however, and as you would imagine that barrier comes in the form of price. In order to have this working, you will need a few things, that is, a few things aside from an iPhone or iPod touch.

First you will need to have a compatible Viper alarm system already installed, or at least be willing to have one installed. Basically this can mean either a $299 or $499 price tag. The $299 is to have the Viper SmartStart Module installed, which requires you to already have a compatible Viper remote start system. The $499 price tag is for the complete setup.

Second, you will need to install the app on your iPhone or iPod touch, thankfully the app is free to download. But alas here comes the catch — the service is $29 per year, but on the positive side you do get the first year of service for free.

So in short, expect to pay upwards of $500 and then $29 per year, which means that I will be sticking with my stock alarm/keyless entry system. Still very cool though.

[Viper SmartStart (App Store link)] [Viper.com via Facebook]