Tag Archives: AutomaticLink

Automatic Link review: an expensive way to learn better driving habits

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Automatic Link review: an expensive way to learn better driving habits

We love when we find new ways to bring our toys together. The Automatic Link does just that: it connects your iPhone to your car's computer, using Bluetooth Low Energy as a bridge to the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) interface that's been standard in most cars since 1996. Coupled with a free app, you can log various stats from your road trips, including how aggressively you drove and how much gasoline your car consumed. Basically, it's sort of like a quantified-self tracker, but for your vehicle. So, does this $100 driver's assistant deliver? Let's see.%Gallery-slideshow121856%

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Automatic delays connected car platform until August as it seeks to perfect iPhone app

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Automatic delays connected car platform until August as it seeks to perfect iPhone app

It's an age-old problem: do we clamor for a company to ship a product that's not ready, or do we swallow delays with grace as it aims to deliver when things are good and ready? Such a choice has to be made when it comes to Automatic, the California-based startup which had originally hoped to start shipping its automotive dongle + app platform at the end of this month. Those (including yours truly) who pre-ordered on day one received an email last night delivering the news that things were running a bit behind schedule. The hardware itself is actually already being manufactured, but stellar components are only a piece of the total puzzle. The software -- an iPhone app, in this instance -- still needs more time in the proverbial oven, and now we're being told that packages won't ship until "the end of August."

A three-month hiccup is nothing to scoff at, and Automatic seemingly knows it. In order to sate those who were hoping to use the $70 product during their upcoming summer road trips, the company is giving early pre-orderers the option to beta test the app as it stands today. For those who agree, they'll receive their hardware in mid-June, but they'll be forced to use it with a version of the app that "lacks a few features like Crash Alert and support for multiple cars and users." We'll be keeping a close eye as the situation develops, and will definitely endeavor to pass along a review just as soon as we're able. If you're curious, we've embedded the email in full just after the break.

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Source: Automatic

The Daily Roundup for 03.16.2013

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DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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

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Automatic Link handson and test drive

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.

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Source: Automatic

Automatic Link converts your iPhone into a personal driving assistant (video)

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Automatic Link converts your iPhone into a personal driving assistant video

That OBD II port that has been installed on just about every US-bound automobile since 1996? It's potential has just been tapped. For years, ambiguous dashboard lights have clued motorists in on internal issues, but driving to a body shop just to borrow a data port reader is so last decade. Enter the Automatic Link -- a simplistic nub that plugs into said port and utilizes Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to your iPhone 4S or 5 (prior iPhones use older versions of the BT stack). Once linked, it'll monitor your driving habits and routes, sending gentle reminders to not brake so suddenly or accelerate so quickly in a bid to save fuel. Moreover, it'll dial 911 and alert your relatives should you get in an accident, and perhaps most intriguingly, it'll send full diagnostic reports to your iPhone whenever a warning indicator lights up. Heck, it'll let you clear the code through your phone once you've remedied whatever has gone wrong.

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Via: @dantecesa (Twitter)

Source: Automatic, @Automatic (Twitter)