Automatic, a service that aims to help drivers save time and thousands of dollars in wasted gas by teaching better driving habits in real time linked up with IFTTT, a service that lets you create powerful connections with one simple statement. Together the team created a gadget called the Automatic Link, which allows almost any car manufactured since 1996 to connect to one of 82 social services including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SMS, and even your email account. The connection could be triggered when the ignition is started, a destination is reached, or when the check engine light comes on.
“Your car is the most expensive computer you're ever going to buy, and it's not even connected to the Internet,” Automatic Chief Product Officer Ljuba Miljkovic told Wired. “It could be so much more useful to you if it was connected.”
Though the car won't drive itself (at least not yet), having your vehicle connected to the Internet can easily wash away some of life's little frustrations.
Automatic can be configured to send a text message to your significant other when you leave work.
Business travelers can automatically track their trip mileage for expense reports.
Parents of teen drivers can feel at ease by receiving a text message with location information every time the teen turns the car on or off.
Google Glass wearers can set up an alert to display why the check engine light went. They can easily send that information to their mechanic with a voice command, all without taking their eyes off the road.
The Automatic Link, pictured below, works with both iPhone and Android, and costs about $100. Learn more at automatic.com.
Story via Wired.
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