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

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">  <img alt="Automatic Link handson and test drive" data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticleadimage.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink01.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink02.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink03.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink04.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink05.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink14.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink06.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink07.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink09.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink10.jpg" width="640" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><img alt="Gallery Image" height="426" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlink12.jpg" width="640" /> </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP Automatic Link handson and test drive video" data-src-height="413" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlinkpost07.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">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.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP Automatic Link handson and test drive video" data-src-height="413" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticlinkpost11.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">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." </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">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.</div></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="349" id="viddler-237705b3" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="//www.viddler.com/embed/237705b3/?f=1&offset=0&autoplay=0&secret=73609267&disablebranding=0&view_secret=73609267" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="545"></iframe></div>

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

  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...

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

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Automatic Link converts your iPhone into a personal driving assistant video" data-src-height="422" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticadapter.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">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 <i>so</i> 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 <i>clear</i> the code through your phone once you've remedied whatever has gone wrong.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">There's also the more expected bits -- things like keeping track of your motorcar's location in order to retrieve it after a long, confusing day at Disneyland, but the real magic here is the promise of what's to come. The company has taken to Twitter to answer a litany of inquiries from prospective customers, and thus far we've learned that the adapter won't soon monitor tire pressure (boo), and that it has no immediate plans to release an API for developers to expand its functionality (double boo).</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Automatic Link converts your iPhone into a personal driving assistant video" data-src-height="413" data-src-width="438" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/automaticdongle.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">For clarity, the dongle is only going to support cars in the United States "for now," though the cries from Europe are most certainly being acknowledged. Moreover, those with diesel vehicles are (sadly) going to have to sit this one out, but we're told that having this connected won't impact your phone's ability to stream music or calls to your in-car infotainment system. Oh, and for those worried sick over privacy? Automatic has said that monitoring of its users is "not going to happen." Automatic has also stated that it's "focused on iOS and Android" for now, with an app for the latter planned for this fall.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Sold already? Hit the source link to part ways with $70 -- pre-orders are set to ship alongside the app in May.</div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_AyXNeRbpRk?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>

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. Fo...

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