Automatic secures $24m series B funding to create more connected car apps

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Automatic Labs has announced $24 million in series B funding to “continue its mission to transform the car ownership experience with a host of connected car apps built on the Automatic platform.”

The company recently launched App Gallery, ostensibly an app store for connected cars, and its own developer platform, which is available to build apps for “just about any car since 1996”. It aims to use the cash injection to accelerate growth and continue expanding its...

By James Bourne, 30 June 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Devices, Ecosystems, Insurance.

TomTom improves your driving skills with real-time feedback

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We might be entering the era of driverless cars, but for the time being the majority of us will remain in control which means the only errors we can blame are our own. This is where TomTom wants to step-in and help prevent our human mistakes from occuring with an innovative connected car application.

TomTom's system allows for a more-detailed look at driving performance

Dubbed TomTom CURFER, the new technology provides real-time feedback on the...

Turn your car into a connected car for $99: Vinli smashes Indiegogo campaign

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If you wanted a connected car, you would have to put down a considerable sum of money for a car technologically-savvy enough. Yet one Dallas-based firm is aiming to turn all that on its head.

Meet Vinli. The startup, which debuted at TechCrunch Disrupt SF in September, has the simple mission statement of “turning your car into a smart connected car”, by installing a $99 device into your vehicle and utilising Vinli’s apps, app store and 4G LTE connection. And the startup...

By James Bourne, 15 June 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Devices, Ecosystems, Insurance.

Industry must collaborate to secure driverless future, report argues

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A report from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) argues the need for greater industry collaboration in developing connected and driverless cars.

The report outlines a variety of potential issues and threats covered in this publication before, from personal data theft to fraud and deception, freight and goods theft and automotive...

By James Bourne, 09 March 2015, 1 comment. Categories: Driverless, Insurance, Regulation, Security.

Hella plans to alert drivers when bodywork is damaged

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The Hella group has released details of a new system called the Intelligent Damage Detection System that is capable of detecting scratches and dents as they happen.

Depending on the specification, anything from two to 12 sensors are positioned through a car’s body panels. A central control panel is able to detect a pressure being applied to the panel and then decide whether it is rain or something far less innocuous like a scratch.

By Simon Holland, 26 February 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Apps, Connectivity, Contextual data, Data & Analytics, Devices, Insurance, Security.

How the internet of things is becoming intertwined with the connected car

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Looking at the recent news from some of the world’s biggest auto manufacturers, it is clear to see just how much progress has been made and how the connected car is revolutionising the in-car experience. At CES in January 2015, GM announced AtYourService, a suite of new OnStar services aimed at allowing retailers and other merchants to promote deals directly to drivers. These promotions include hotel...

Consumer worries about insurance telematics privacy on a par with social media

Insurance telematics concerns could simply be sensationalised hyperbole if new research by LexisNexis rings true for the wider population.

The company’s 2014 Usage-Based Insurance (UBI) white paper revealed how consumers’ comfort levels surrounding the sharing of UBI driving data were on a similar level to other internet-related tasks such as online banking and social media.

In fact, both online search data and social media personal rated higher on the study’s concern scale than UBI driving...

By Simon Holland, 28 November 2014, 0 comments. Categories: Contextual data, Data & Analytics, Insurance, Privacy, Security, Telematics .

EFF proposals could hinder telematics insurance companies in US

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Digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation has moved to dismantle copyright legislation that prevents car owners from tinkering with their own vehicle's software programming.

The USA’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a series of copyright laws that aims to protect the rights of both copyright owners and consumers, restricts access to a car’s electronic control unit (ECU) on the grounds of vehicle safety.

A host of requests have been filed with the...