I didn't know there was already a second generation Automatic.<p>I pre-ordered the first one and had a lot of problems with it constantly losing connection and not tracking trips. I checked the app a few times to find out that data was just not collected, and it was just cumbersome to get the device to reconnect, with having to turn off my engine and do a dance to get it to talk to my car, that it just became a pain and sat in my glove box for months.<p>Hope they've fixed these issues, but I'm skeptical about buying a 2nd gen after that experience.
My friend and I built something similar to this a few years back, but we never found the right audience. Here's the old kickstarter page: <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1847359812/motobox-connect-with-your-car-on-a-deeper-level" rel="nofollow">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1847359812/motobox-conn...</a><p>Ours connected to WiFi in driveways and dumped all driving data to servers that users could connect to via an API and web tool. I suspect our messaging and graphics were not polished enough, even though our hardware and software was cool.<p>I'd be really curious to find out what the most popular use of this "Automatic" device is. I'm always excited to hear about new uses for automotive data.
I'm browsing this website for 5 minutes, and still dont fully understand what they offer. Do they offer an api to get data of their own drivers on the road? Or do they offer an api to get data of any car out there? Or do they have a box you need to install in your car, which has a built in rest api to get the data you need? I think the initial value this company provides should be more clear on the landing page.
For Android developers who don't want to get locked into Automatic as a platform I recommend the Torque app. It has the same basic functionality, costs less, supports a variety of third-party Bluetooth OBD2 readers, and provides a plugin development API.<p><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque" rel="nofollow">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torq...</a>
<a href="http://torque-bhp.com/" rel="nofollow">http://torque-bhp.com/</a>
The actual car events listed on their website is incredibility limited. Anyone who has spent time dealing with OBD-II ports, canbus, etc. knows that getting access to data beyond basics like RPM, Speed, and maybe braking (Mode 1 PIDs) is typically vendor specific and can vary between years of the same model, let alone models within the same manufacturer.<p>Someone mentioned VW below. Remember, there has been discussion that the automotive vendors want to lock access to OBD-II/Canbus info.
Does anyone know if this works for any bluetooth obd-ii adapter? I have another one I've used with Dash but wasn't sure if it will work with Automatic or if they use proprietary hardware/software.
Hey, is there any difference between this hardware and your typical OBD-II Bluetooth adapter? In case not, they could market the app separately and allow people to use their existing adapters.
What do you guys use to collect / aggregate / store / analyze your users' data? Do you do any kind of aggregate analysis to get insights into patterns / behaviours?
I've never thought about this because I don't even own a car anymore.
Essentially it's a device that converts diagnostic data to a standardized format (and displays this in a corresponding app)?
+now you can use the data in your own apps<p>Is the app required or is there a device that I can plug in, read data for a while, unplug and get the data to a desktop (like a usb key)...because that would be interesting for me. Anything with a mobile connection...scares me :D
Concerns that was brought up on another forum was the distribution of user information to third-parties ie. insurance, auto manufactures, etc. I was able to test the first iteration of the product a year ago and noticed it worked fine for basic needs (seamless UI experience, useful information) but it wasn't useful after a week of use.
Looks like part of the movement into a world where I need to “sign in” before I'm allowed to build software. I'm sure Orwell would love this but I don't.