'Find My Car Smart' is the First Low Energy Bluetooth App for iPhone 4S

[RWinOR]

In all my years of driving I have never misplaced my car either.

Now where this would be very helpful is in a shared car family. I park at night, my wife takes my car shopping while I am home. She parks somewhere, I need car in the morning and have to hunt for it, as she parked it last and I was not with her.

When it can actually track my car even if I am not in it when it is parked, I will be much more interested.

 

[dave420]

In all my years of driving I have never misplaced my car either.

This app sounds useful. I seem to be in the minority, but I have forgotten where I parked several times. Once it took me a week to find it. This app could be very useful in a city. I'm usually extra paranoid now, and locate myself on a map and take a screenshot so I don't forget where I parked.

 

[rivertrip]

As I understand it from the FAQ, the tag's function is to determine when it and the iPhone are in close proximity. When you park and walk away from your car, the app assumes that you've parked and takes the iPhone's last recorded location as your parking spot. Basically, what it's doing is saving you the effort of launching an app and manually recording your car's location when you park.

It seems I'm compltetely missing the point of this app.

My phone is paired to the handsfree system in my car anyway.

As soon as I walk away from my car the connection is lost and a background app could drop a pin in google maps without me doing anything anyway. Then when I want to find my car I just open google maps and get directions back.

Since I have a charger for the phone in the car anyway the power savings of Bluetooth 4 are irrelevant. My iPhones Bluetooth is always on anyway.

I just don't see what this App does that can't be done in every car anyway. Car locators for Android did this for quite some time already.

In addition can the iPhone hold two bluetooth connections? Because you would need to hold the connection to the handsfree system and the "find my car smart" bluetooth dongle at the same time.

Every car has a bluetooth hands free system?

 

[macintel4me]

This is awesome! I just did my $30 pledge.

 

[AriX]

Great - so this app will save your battery with the Bluetooth tracker, and then murder your battery with continuous background GPS checking. Or does it only check the GPS when you stop being in range of the Bluetooth? I don't know.

 

[CBJammin103]

I'm confused - can apps now run in the background differently than before? How can the BT4.0 dongle "continuously send" a signal to your car on the way to work, have your iPhone convert that information into GPS coordinates, and then store them all without ever having opened the app that morning?

I thought that only certain hooks could be used in the "background," like music.

 

[jclardy]

It's a good question. Maybe it doesn't matter? Maybe bluetooth turning off is the same as walking away from the bluetooth transmitter?

In either case, the iPhone will remember the last time location it got a signal from the dongle?

edit: ya, seems it doesn't matter (see responses below)

arn

I'm pretty sure it works by detecting when it is not connected. The proximity sensor just works because it auto-connects. When it connects the app is run (in the background, I guess? I didn't know Apple added new background tasks for BT 4.0) At that point the background process grabs your location, until it stops running (You either get out of your car and walk out of range or the dongle is powered off.) The last location update is loaded when you open the app to go find your car again.

Overall pretty cool idea and a definite improvement over the old, non-connected versions of the idea, but the parking garages that I go to aren't that complicated.

 

[powers74]

I guess I'll be able to set the app to not track my parking when I'm places where I'll NEVER forget where I parked my car, home, work friends etc?

edit: This will be especially great for the wife!

 

[Mike Oxard]

I wonder how it knows what level you parked your car on

 

[techwhiz]

iPhone 4s not only BLE 4.0 Device

We should expect to see more Low Energy Bluetooth accessories and applications in the future. For now, the iPhone 4S is the only iOS device that supports the new standard.

Article Link: 'Find My Car Smart' is the First Low Energy Bluetooth App for iPhone 4S

Not trying to pick nits but....


BLUETOOTH® TECHNOLOGY5
Bluetooth Smart Ready; Stereo Bluetooth Class 2, Version 4.0 LE+EDR OPP, DUN, SPP, GAVDP, AVDTP, AVCTP, A2DP, AVRCP 1.4, HFP 1.5, DID, HID, HSP, MAP, PAN-NAP, PBAP, SM,GATT/ATT,GAP,HR

From a Droid Razr....

 

[Groves]

I wonder how it knows what level you parked your car on

I'm pretty sure that GPS technology includes elevation, yes?

 

[piecloud]

I'm confused - can apps now run in the background differently than before? How can the BT4.0 dongle "continuously send" a signal to your car on the way to work, have your iPhone convert that information into GPS coordinates, and then store them all without ever having opened the app that morning?

I thought that only certain hooks could be used in the "background," like music.

I was wondering about the same thing. I don't know if the new ios SDK has a different class of applications for bluetooth that could be backgrounded like Music, VOIP, or Location. For android, I can see the possibility.

----------

I'm pretty sure that GPS technology includes elevation, yes?

I am pretty sure that the Current technology/gps chips in phone won't have the accuracy to find the level in a parking garage. Unless some one comes with a way to track using your accelerometer+magnetometer+GPS+ a complex algorithm, it's not possible. IOS doesn't allow that level of access in the SDK. So unless it's a jailbreak app, it's not possible.

 

[bondjw07]

What happens to my current car's bluetooth kit?

Currently I use the bluetooth car kit for hands free calling in my car. Since the iPhone can only pair to one thing at a time, this is going to cause a conflict. Which means that you can either use hands free, or track your cars location.

This lead me to research the new feature of Bluetooth 4.0. Everything lists that's it's "low power", which is great, but what I can't find out is if there is really anything more than that. If there are some more complicated things happening through this new version of the tech, then I can understand why you'd have to have a bluetooth 4.0 receiver for this to work. But right now, I can't seem to put my hands on any details.

Also, if this does in fact require bluetooth 4 from a tech standpoint, then anyone with a non-bluetooth 4 car kit (pretty my all of them I imagine) won't be able to use their hands free kit anymore. That, or they'll have to turn their receivers on and off manually, which defeats the purpose altogether.

Not trying to hate on the idea, I think it's awesome. Would just like to see it work in all the situations.

 

[Westyfield2]

I don't get where the button cell battery fits into this. USB Bluetooth transmitter gets its power from the USB port in your car, and obviously the iPhone App is using the iPhone's battery .

 

[yg17]

I wasn't aware that there are enough people out there that misplace their cars that something like this is even necessary.

The worst I've probably done is forget which aisle in the grocery store lot I parked in, but pressing the lock button on my remote and listening for the horn does the trick. GPS isn't even accurate enough to help in that situation.

 

[Porchland]

The new Wahoo Fitness Blue HR heart rate monitor -- which will run BT 4.0 and work with iPhone 4S -- is due out in a few weeks.

And there are five pre-releases on Ebay with proceeds going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

 

[HiRez]

How are they continuously running an app in the background? That sounds like a daemon, which is normally not allowed on iOS. Apps can run for a while in the background, but they're not supposed to be continuously active, and generally any backgrounded app is subject to being killed by the OS at any time when resources are needed anyway.

 

[frankly]

It has its own battery. That's the point of BT 4.0, otherwise it would run out of juice too fast unless it had a massive battery.

Your car will only recharge the battery, not power the device, so it will work for a while even if your engine is off given BT 4.0's efficiency.

And no, your car doesn't need to have a USB port, the 30$ pack includes the hardware, the app and a USB to lighter plug adapter.

Fair price, I might get one. The project will likely succeed with this media attention. I just hope the app is not too buggy.

EDIT: Actually I'm not sure about the battery part since it's not mentioned anywhere but I'm pretty sure this round flat metal thing written "Li-Mn" on it is a battery. I guess they will find a way to integrate it in a single USB dongle that they don't have images of at the moment.

I'm 99% sure that is only shown to demonstrate the size of the actual device.

I don't get where the button cell battery fits into this. USB Bluetooth transmitter gets its power from the USB port in your car, and obviously the iPhone App is using the iPhone's battery .

See above.

I wasn't aware that there are enough people out there that misplace their cars that something like this is even necessary.

The worst I've probably done is forget which aisle in the grocery store lot I parked in, but pressing the lock button on my remote and listening for the horn does the trick. GPS isn't even accurate enough to help in that situation.

My guess is that you are not a frequent traveler. Anyone that travels via airport on a regular basis is going to park their car in massive parking lots. And when you are focused on time, getting through security, your bags, etc. the last thing you want to have to think about is where you're parking.

 

[D.T.]

Not trying to pick nits but....


BLUETOOTH® TECHNOLOGY5
Bluetooth Smart Ready; Stereo Bluetooth Class 2, Version 4.0 LE+EDR OPP, DUN, SPP, GAVDP, AVDTP, AVCTP, A2DP, AVRCP 1.4, HFP 1.5, DID, HID, HSP, MAP, PAN-NAP, PBAP, SM,GATT/ATT,GAP,HR

From a Droid Razr....

It didn't say the only phone, but the only iOS device:

For now, the iPhone 4S is the only iOS device that supports the new standard.

 

[yg17]

My guess is that you are not a frequent traveler. Anyone that travels via airport on a regular basis is going to park their car in massive parking lots. And when you are focused on time, getting through security, your bags, etc. the last thing you want to have to think about is where you're parking.

I travel fairly often and remember where my car is. The lot I park at has row numbers. When the shuttle driver picks me up right at my car, he writes down the row number on a business card with the lot's name and where in the terminal to get on the shuttle at when I land. When I return, I give the row number to the shuttle driver, and he'll drive down the aisle and when I spot my car, I ask him to stop and I get dropped off right at my car.

GPS does not have the accuracy to pinpoint your car's exact location. It can get you pretty close, but you'd still be walking around trying to find your car. And if you parked in a garage, forget about it.

How on earth did people find their cars before technology?

 

[tido2012]

I wish I could say the same. I dont think I've gone 15 days without having an episode of parking lot hide and seek with mine. I'm sure I've entertained one or two security guards watching the video monitors. Especially the Galleria parking lot, bastards!

Parking lot- 1000, Tido2012- 1 (once i finally get one of these things)
Looks like a comeback fellas!!

Looks nice but in my 15 years of driving, I never found myself in a situation where I couldn't find/remember where I left my car...

 

[DOWNSIDEUP]

okay, since when are imperial units of measure considered to be the "standard"?

 

[isepic]

Image
okay, since when are imperial units of measure considered to be the "standard"?

Because they were around way before metric came along (I don't agree with it, just answering your question)

 

[frankly]

I travel fairly often and remember where my car is. The lot I park at has row numbers. When the shuttle driver picks me up right at my car, he writes down the row number on a business card with the lot's name and where in the terminal to get on the shuttle at when I land. When I return, I give the row number to the shuttle driver, and he'll drive down the aisle and when I spot my car, I ask him to stop and I get dropped off right at my car.

GPS does not have the accuracy to pinpoint your car's exact location. It can get you pretty close, but you'd still be walking around trying to find your car. And if you parked in a garage, forget about it.

How on earth did people find their cars before technology?

I travel through the Atlanta, GA airport often. It is the busiest airport in the United States and has a ton of parking lots, let alone knowing which row.

GPS is more than accurate enough to pinpoint your car's exact location. I'm not sure what kind of GPS you're using but even the worst these days is accurate within yards so unless you have a really small car...

As to your last quip, how did people travel long distances before planes? How did people get from point A to point B before cars? How did people get in touch with others before phones? I mean really???? Unless you're Amish you need to get a grip with your anti-technology stance.

 

[hushypushy]

okay, since when are imperial units of measure considered to be the "standard"?

It's a whole standardized system. But only here. Another case of Americans believing we are the only civilized people in the world

And by the way, the other poster is wrong---the metric system proceeds British imperial units.