Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

automatic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

271–280 of 305 posts

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#271

Post by pfranz »

gfodor wrote: post #248

Ok I know this is going to sound harsh given the praise of this thread, but I am just not getting it. The design is brilliant, the idea seems great, but of the applications listed there isn't anything there that makes me want to reach in my pocket and spend $70 on this. I'm not interested in how efficiently I am driving. This is not going to help me find my car in a parking lot, since it is an estimate and often thes…

I used Glympse before Find My Friends was added to the iPhone for ETA stuff: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/glympse-share-location-frien...

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#272

Post by ck2 »

msprague wrote: post #215
Alexx wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if you could call the ipod a clone of all previous mp3 players. Technology != Customer Experience.

Except torque is only for car enthusiasts, and it looks like the general population would have use for this.

I drive a 15 year old car and find Torque very valuable, it's not just for enthusiasts.

And you can make the screens as simple as this displays.

I guess this one is just easier out of the box.

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#273

Post by ck2 »

sturmeh wrote: post #244
ck2 wrote: post #55

So it's a $10 elm327 ? http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=elm327&_sacat=0 With a Torque clone? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torq...

To be fair, I bought a $10 EML327 and it didn't work in my car.

Not all elm327 clones are the same. Some don't support the newer protocols, you should check their forums for leads on the better sellers on ebay/amazon.

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#274

Post by odysseus »

How does Automatic compare to Verizon/Delphi's coming dongle/app that does a lot of the same things? We don't know pricing for the Delphi dongle yet, but it does appear to include unlocking/locking the car for certain models:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avX0YRiXDI0 http://shop.verizonwireless.com/?id=vehicle-diagnostics

Automatic's GUI definitely looks nicer. If Automatic could automatically unlock the door when I come near the car after being away from it from a period of time, that would make this a must buy for me.

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#275

Post by epochwolf »

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #226
mikeash wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Car batteries don't die after sitting idle for three weeks, not in a normal car with a working battery. At 1mA of current draw, this device is definitely not a problem. But the idea that an unpowered car uses enough power to drain the battery in less than a month is clearly ridiculous.

Weather is a factor, especially for those living in harsh winter climates. The first "C" in a battery's CCA rating is "Cold." i.e., how much current the battery can provide for 30 seconds of cranking continuously at 0F when brand new . That current rating drops significantly below zero Fahrenheit - http://www.pacificpowerbatteries.com/aboutbatts/car%20batter... In a climate where 32F may be the highest temperature se…

Grew up in Wisconsin. Definitely an issue. I had an old Ford Aerostar that would only give you one chance to start if it was below -10F and if it started, you didn't dare let it stop for a while. :)

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#276

Post by epochwolf »

masoninthesis wrote: post #249
gfodor wrote: post #248

Ok I know this is going to sound harsh given the praise of this thread, but I am just not getting it. The design is brilliant, the idea seems great, but of the applications listed there isn't anything there that makes me want to reach in my pocket and spend $70 on this. I'm not interested in how efficiently I am driving. This is not going to help me find my car in a parking lot, since it is an estimate and often thes…

I commend you for being part of the solution, but I have to say- for myself, the ability to check the cause of the check engine light would be worth it. If your car is fairly new, you may experience the check engine light very rarely. But for cars over 5 years old, I think that's the best feature. As opposed to taking it into a mechanic where you are completely ignorant of what the cause was.

I have a $50 device that can pull the codes for any vehicle they listed with a description of the error.

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#278

Post by greggman »

So I ordered one almost immediately but now I'm having second thoughts and thinking of canceling. I really don't want some company spying on me or storing my location data.

Yea, I know the phone company already does this but still, I'd like one less company doing it. Especially one that has no track record and is reserving the option to sell all my data when they sell the company and change the terms at any time.

I'd be happier if, like Google, there was a guarantee I could export my data (and not on some TODO list someday maybe but at launch). And, that I could delete all my data from their servers at anytime. Including, like i can on Google Latitude, any specific data. Latitude has a "delete this day's data" and a "delete all data" button.

Would I ever use these features? Probably not. But they'd make me feel good to know they exist.

I also want to be able to opt out of any and all sharing of my data. Even anonymous aggregated data. I'm happy to consider paying more for that feature. Even a yearly fee if it was relatively low ($10-$20 a year)

Re: Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant

#280

Post by ibrahima »

UnoriginalGuy wrote: post #35

I've seen these before. There are several companies working on similar products (and things like HUDs you can get off of eBay which show you OBD-II information). The main problem with these (all of them!) is that the OBD II was never designed to be used like this. It will run the device 24/7 even when the car is turned off. So it will run down your battery in a similar way to leaving the cabin light on would do... No…

Oh really, I didn't realize this was the case. I have a cheap ODB2 reader and I use Torque to estimate my gas mileage, and I just leave it plugged in but in the settings it has an option to remind you to unplug it but I didn't know why. Now I know. I have to say though that I've left it plugged in for a good few months or so and haven't had any problems.
Post reply on HN