Automatic , the App

Hmmmm this is very interesting. I would pre-order one if I could it to display all the gauges while I was driving.

 

Automatic Link connects phone and car for better driving, we go hands-on




Scanners that can read data from your car's OBD-II port (which is in every car built since 1996) aren't exactly new; they're on-hand at every mechanic's workshop and curious car enthusiasts can buy them from most hardware stores. But few port readers are consumer-friendly enough for the everyday driver to grok.

Enter the newly announced Automatic Link, which uses Bluetooth 4.0 and a paired smartphone to deliver diagnostic info with a decidedly novel twist. Instead of just hard facts, it offers an innovative array of features that range from monitoring driving habits, dialing 911 in case of an accident and even letting you clear a check engine light if you can fix the problem yourself. Join us after the break where we give the Link a bit of a test drive, speak to Automatic's lead product guy and find out a bit more about the potential of this tiny plastic nub.

As far as the actual Link device goes, there's not much to say about it. It's, well, a tiny white plastic plug with the letter A on the front. There's an LED indicator at the top that glows red or green depending on its connection status and a speaker on the back that beeps when you've made a driving faux pas. What's interesting is what's inside; it has an accelerometer which is useful for detecting those sudden movements, and Bluetooth 4.0, which is used to transmit a set of data to your smartphone.

The app, therefore, is the real star of the show. From our initial hands-on, it seems surprisingly polished for essentially a 1.0 release. The main hub appears to be the trip timeline, which records information about each drive you had that week. It calculates what it deems to be your MPG on a trip, the ideal MPG based on whether you drove on the highway or city streets, the map of your route and whether or not you made any fuel-efficiency mistakes like braking too hard or accelerating too quickly. From this information, the Automatic app comes up with what it thinks is your driving score for that week -- the higher the number, the better your driving.



But the app goes beyond just taking note of your MPG. It also uses geolocation data to determine which gas station you just visited to fill up and will automatically calculate how much you paid based on a database of stations. As you drive around, the app will tell you just how much your driving is actually costing you based on that last fill-up and your driving speed. Of course, geolocation also comes in handy when trying to find a lost car in a giant parking lot.

Perhaps more interestingly, Automatic can also suss out the reason behind a check engine light along with an appropriate course of action. The app lets you know what the error code means and if it's a serious problem, it'll bring up a map of nearby auto shops along with their Yelp ratings. However, if the solution is a simple DIY remedy like tightening your gas cap, you can go ahead and turn off the light with the app itself, saving you time and money. Last but certainly not least, the app will dial 911 and up to three emergency contacts when it thinks you've been in an accident -- it figures that out with the data it collects from the Link's accelerometer.



We had a chance to take a test drive of the Automatic device with Ljuba Miljkovic, Automatic's chief product officer, and he told us that the Link device is purposefully "dumb." While it has the aforementioned accelerometer and Bluetooth capabilities, it relies on the phone to provide everything else, from GPS to a data connection. "If we recreated that [in the hardware], we would need to charge users a monthly fee," he said. "We thought it'd be best just to charge for the Link itself."

After about a year of development, the Link can finally be pre-ordered through Automatic's website. It costs $69.95, while the app is free. Both the hardware and the iOS app will be available in May. The iOS app works over Bluetooth 4.0 so it won't drain the phone's battery, but the standard is only available in the iPhone 4S and the 5. The Android app, however, works with all Bluetooth standards, and will be available later in the fall. For an interview with Miljkovic where he gives us a test drive and a first-hand demo of the Link, check the video below.

Video -->> http://www.viddler.com/v/237705b3

 

I wonder if it is sending feedback to a database on driving habits and sold to insurance companies?

 

Has anyone gotten one of these yet? If so... what are the pros/cons that you've noticed so far?

Side note, I noticed they bumped up the price to $99.

Worth the $99?

 

Didn't see this thread until now. Very cool. I wonder if you can display the data on the nav screen or whether it stays on the smart phone display?

 

I don't think I want this feature---

"Say you’re leaving a parking garage and instead of stopping to pay an attendant with your credit card, Automatic wirelessly signals the gate that you’re there using iBeacon, deducts the necessary funds from a credit card linked to your Automatic account, and opens the gate. The same system could work for toll booths, repair shops, parking meters, car washes, gas stations, and so on."

 

Any updates? Anybody buy one yet?

 

Just found this article.

 

Thanks. I look forward to someone here reviewing it.
OZ, you get one yet?

 

If it doubled as a scantool I would buy it. Looks like it can show you codes when they come on, but i doubt you can reset and get all the diag. like a scantool. That would be saweet!

 

I read over their site, nothing is mentioned about clearing codes, not in the FAQ or support sections. They do give you a map to the closest mechanic with reviews. So I don't think they plan to add that feature anytime soon.

 

My only concern with this Automatic app is when the company gets big enough for some insurance company to buy them. And then know all of your driving habits. No thanks.

Progressive already has one of these things. Other insurance companies will jump into this market too.

 

Nope

 

torque pro, which has a lot of the features this does allows you to clear codes. Automatic seems to be a more consumer friendly (watered down, harder to screw things up, easier to use) app so i doubt they will add features like this in.

 

Pretty neat. I'll keep my UG as it does similar things but no doubt there will be a market for it.

 

I'll pass. Torque pro does all and more and way cheaper.

 

Torque isn't an ios app

 

Must have missed that.Oops.

 

Thats what you get for buying an iphone

 

There's lots of retard Android vs Iphone threads already , we don't need another one