Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant • Hacker News Board

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#151

Post by sksksk » Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 5:43 PM UTC

dmmalam wrote: post #51

Does this also connect to the CAN Bus, if so will you offer a simple high level API to it. I would buy one now if it did. Background: I showed Lockitron to my dad a while back, and he wanted it for his car. ie unlock/lock from his phone, or even by just walking up, like keyless-go on the mercs. I did a bit of googleling, and it seemed like it should be pretty simple. Connect a dongle to the diagnostic port (inc CAN b…

At my employer (a car sharing company) we do have this API (for internal use only) and it is extremely fun to use.

When you realise that you can just send commands to a car and get it to do things, the possibilities you can think up are incredible

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#152

Post by jaspero » Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 5:43 PM UTC

stevenkovar wrote: post #32

contango wrote: post #21

Prediction: No one will buy this. It does not solve an actual problem. It's a toy for data geeks. How the hell much did that domain cost?

I can see several good pairings: * Car rental companies * Insurance companies (rebates if you use it) * Business vehicle fleets * Parents

I do not want anyone of them tracking my movement. May be except Business vehicle fleets.

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#153

Post by TkTech » Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 5:44 PM UTC

goatforce5 wrote: post #68

creativityhurts wrote: post #40

Too bad they're US only.

Not even Canada, which shares a lot of the available car line up with the US.

I'd buy this in an instant if it was available in Canada.

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#154

Post by austenallred » Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 5:49 PM UTC

I want to know how much the domain cost.

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#155

Post by Skywing » Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 5:51 PM UTC

The android app version says it ships this fall. When does the iOS version ship?

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#156

Post by pc86 » Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 5:52 PM UTC

dsr_ wrote: post #121

The privacy policy seems to boil down to "We're not planning on selling your information to anyone, but if it leaks or someone hands us a subpoena, tough noogies." That makes me itchy, and I'm not even planning on doing anything illegal.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find any company that would willfully disobey a subpoena.

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#157

Post by jessriedel » Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 5:53 PM UTC

ry0ohki wrote: post #146

Lesson for startups here: There are tons of devices/apps that do exactly what this does already. What's the difference? Automatic has great design, snappy domain name, and most importantly mass market positioning. These had traditionally been targeted towards gear heads, but Automatic smartly positioned it to be something mass market (gas mileage, etc...)

Could you give an example or two of their best competitor?

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#158

Post by revelation » Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 5:56 PM UTC

nlh wrote: post #99

This is a great start to what I hope will be an awesome product. One of the other commenters mentioned fleet/enterprise customers -- let me raise my hand (as one of those customers) and say how SORELY needed this sort of approach to tech is in the fleet space. I actually predict (hope?) this will take off more on the business side than the consumer side. Here's the problem: Fleet managers (that is, people who are res…

Teslas Model S does 1, 2 and 3 out of the box and offers you a REST api to automate it. This stuff should just be standard issue in this day and age.

(I thought the OBD port is decidedly "read-only"? Given how easy access is mandated by law.)

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#159

Post by jessriedel » Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 5:57 PM UTC

pc86 wrote: post #156

dsr_ wrote: post #121

The privacy policy seems to boil down to "We're not planning on selling your information to anyone, but if it leaks or someone hands us a subpoena, tough noogies." That makes me itchy, and I'm not even planning on doing anything illegal.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find any company that would willfully disobey a subpoena.

I think the idea is that the company could take steps so that they never had access (either physically or cryptographically) to the data in the first place, making a subpoena useless.

There are a few industries which are obligated by statute to keep certain types of data at hand in case the government wants it, but I'm sure that wouldn't apply here.

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#160

Post by MartinCron » Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 5:57 PM UTC

Peroni wrote: post #70

Scorponok wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to the video you can clear the code, the example if if the code reports "Loose gas cap".

Let me rephrase then. Let's assume the check engine light is on due to a fault in the fuel pump. You can clear the code but you aren't clearing the problem. As soon as the problem occurs again, the light returns. In most cases the faults that trigger 'check engine' lights are in a constant state of fault until the part is repaired or replaced meaning the light will return essentially as soon as you press the accelera…

One of the most common causes for the "check engine" light to come on is a loose gas cap. That's something I'm happy to be able to address and clear all on my own.

Granted, I tighten my gas caps like a gorilla these days.