(Automatic Smart Driving Assistant) is probably the best iPhone accessory you would ever wish to have. Automatic is a small box which syncs your iPhone and your car’s on-board computer system both. Automatic helps you unmatched access to driving information of your car. You can save your valuable money by this small box that helps you to save money on gas by analyzing your driving habits. Additionally, it is easy to install, minimizes battery consumption of your iPhone and also provides accident reporting in the case of a crash. With all these features it is not pricing to high you can get this accessory for your iPhone at Amazon.
Automatic Link is a little, accessory which attaches to the onboard diagnostic port of your car and provides tips to make you a safer and more efficient driver. Automatic Link reads certain details of your car as well as checks engine light of some cars just like a mechanic would. It can attach to your car if it is from 1996 or later and will provide you a better chance to improve your driving skills. Extraordinary accessory for iPhone retails for $99 and includes many extra services without the additional charges.
According to the manufacturer of Automatic link, it works only in the United States with just about any gasoline engine car sold in the U.S. since 1996. Automatic for iPhone is the user interface to the whole system, all within an app on your phone. The app is available to download a free, and you will receive frequent new features through software updates when the apps tend to go.
Finding the onboard diagnostic port can be tricky for the new customers normally but it is located just left of the the steering wheel. Automatic Link is much easier to install than you would think.
Technologies
The Automatic Link features a combination of Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS with your smartphone’s cellular connection. Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS data allows to capture and present functional information about your driving. This data consist of stats of unexpected breaking and accelerating, trip duration, excessive speeding, and fuel cost and mileage. The Automatic app manages to presents this data by collecting your trips throughout each week and scoring that week’s performance.
Automatic has a Location Services also which lets you know about where you parked your car. This might be no issue for you because you think this is not the problem that you would personally need to solve daily, but is certainly useful you do need it. Unlike plenty any other apps, Automatic involuntarily informs your last parked location.
Probably the best technology applied by Automatic is a beta program which known as Crash Alert. This technology service provides you alerts in case of your vehicle faces an accident. In the past, accidents alert would notify via text message up to three phone numbers but after version 1.1, Automatic has improved the service by adding the ability to automatically notify an emergency call center at the time of an incident.
Hardware and setup
The Automatic Link is a little and simple but very effective device with a single OBD-II port and a speaker. Internally, the Automatic link has a Bluetooth Low Energy module there is nothing else that is worth mentioning. We can say that it is just a Bluetooth LE-to-OBD-II bridge, and at a $100, it costs about five times as much as other OBD-II bridges available online. Despite its price, most of the magic happens in the software, because it is free on the App Store.
Setting up the Automatic Link is the easiest part but you might face difficulties in finding the OBD port in your car. After you plug the Automatic Link in, just turn your car on and complete the remaining setup process from your iPhone. It will prompt you to set up a car when first time you launch the app. Then you have to enter a six-digit code printed on the back of the Automatic Link. Although in some cases it requires Vehicle Identification Number but after that, rest will be automatic.
Software
Perhaps the only malfunction of the Automatic Link is that it works only withh iOS devices. For using the Automatic you will need to have the iPhone 4S or newer because it relies on Bluetooth Low Energy and GPS. If you have old iPad or iPod we are sorry to say that you cannot use the Automatic because it does not support iPads and iPods. The Automatic Link works by pulling data from the car’s computer and sending the information to the app for processing.
The main feature of the accessory is to track your trips and driving habits, to save your money at the gas pump. The Automatic estimates the charge of every trip based on the actual fuel consumed by the engine and the average price of gasoline in your area. We are sorry to say that you can’t enter the price which you paid yourself.
Our verdict
If you are confused and not able to decide to purchase the Automatic and still thinking whether you need it or not. The Automatic is of course a high price of entry if you don’t already have a smartphone but for the many people who already have a iPhone, Automatic, $99 isn’t the very expensive. If you consider the potential security of Crash Alert and benefits of driving better and decreasing fuel costs you will surely want to get this accessory for your iPhone.
But the biggest question in the mind of millions of people is that is “is Automatic really make you a better driver?. We have tried to give you the answer. The short answer of this question is Yes it makes but if you wants to.
Automatic can’t make you be a better driver, but it will surely help you to take a little coaching. The Automatic indicates you a subtle beep in case break or accelerate too fast at the speed 70 mph. It also takes your weekly score into account, notices what behaviors you repeat. I think there is nothing in the world that works all itself, you have to do something at any cost and same is the case with the Automatic. The Automatic without doubt is a smart product and service that would make for a fun and helps you to make a better driver but only when you willing to.