{"id":95057,"date":"2015-06-05T10:55:50","date_gmt":"2015-06-05T14:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=95057"},"modified":"2015-06-05T12:31:37","modified_gmt":"2015-06-05T16:31:37","slug":"new-apps-could-keep-drivers-in-touch-and-out-of-harms-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2015\/06\/new-apps-could-keep-drivers-in-touch-and-out-of-harms-way\/","title":{"rendered":"New Apps Could Keep Drivers in Touch \u2013 And Out of Harm\u2019s Way"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The prototype Nexar app identifies someone labelled as a "bad driver."<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an app for that,\u201d or so said the salesman offering a customer his first smartphone. With the Apple Store alone listing something north of 1 million apps, that\u2019s pretty close to true for anything you might want, and Google not far behind for its Android system.<\/p>\n

Manufacturers are now racing to integrate smartphone apps into the very core of their in-car entertainment systems with the likes of Ford\u2019s Sync 3, Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. In turn, software writers are looking for ways to come up with more creative apps to appeal to motorists.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Connected!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A growing number of options are out there, including the wildly popular Waze, which can help drivers shift their routes to avoid traffic jams. But several others are under development that could allow you to modify your route for other reasons \u2013 including the ability to stay in touch, and to avoid bad drivers.<\/p>\n

Israeli tech firm Nexar is developing one program that would use the camera of your iPhone to constantly monitor traffic around your vehicle. It would capture the license plate of vehicles passing by and compare them to a database of \u201cbad drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nexar CEO Eran Shir recently revealed a prototype during the annual Code Conference, in California, claiming that his company has more than 500 billion hours per year of driving data.<\/p>\n

If a user were to spot someone driving erratically or, say, demonstrating road rage, they would simply tap the screen of their iPhone to identify that person as a bad driver. Meanwhile, the app would also notify you if someone listed in the database were driving nearby.<\/p>\n

The idea is to identify road risks and let good drivers steer clear. Of course, the proposed service does raise some questions about privacy, among other things. It could, for example, let someone prone to speeding click the app every time they get stuck behind a driver who believes in speed limits.<\/p>\n

Longer-term, would such a database be tapped into by the police — or by insurance companies looking for ever better ways to identify and penalize risky motorists?<\/p>\n

During the conference, well-known tech writer and moderator Walter Mossberg joked that Nexar\u2019s app could become, \u201can outrageous invasion of the privacy of bad drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Ford launching updated Sync 3 in the U.S. this summer. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> for the story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Apple, meanwhile, is working up a very different feature that could be controversial for different reasons.<\/p>\n

A variety of vehicles already come equipped with navigation systems that can warn of traffic jams and help map out an alternate route. Waze has taken that function to new levels. Tesla, meanwhile, recently updated the mapping system in its Model S battery-car to let a driver stay closest to where charging stations are available.<\/p>\n

Apple recently published a patent for a system that would route you according to where you\u2019d get the best cellphone signals along the way, avoiding those unexpected points where coverage might drop out.<\/p>\n

The concept might find some opposition from those worried about distracted drivers who endlessly chat on cellphones or tap away texting. But the reality is that more and more technology \u2013 including some safety systems \u2013 are coming to depend on keeping cars connected.<\/p>\n

Virtually every car in the Chevrolet fleet now comes with built-in 4G LTE connectivity, and other makers like Chrysler and Audi are adding similar technology. Parents can keep kids occupied on long trips by watching streaming video. Motorists can use the technology to tune into services like Pandora and Spotify. General Motors\u2019 OnStar will soon use 4G technology to help track the health of a vehicle and alert a motorist to a pending breakdown.<\/p>\n

(Chevy adding Android Auto, Apple CarPlay to 14 different models for 2016. <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span> for more.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“The system,\u201d notes the Apple patent, \u201ccan select a longer route having better signal strength over a shorter route having worse signal strength.”<\/p>\n

First filed in 2012, Apple just revealed the technology. It isn\u2019t clear what its plans are but it could be used to enhance the mapping functionality of a vehicle equipped with CarPlay.<\/p>\n

(Fiat Chrysler admits to missing five recall deadlines. Could face major fines. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> for that breaking story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There seems to be an app for everything, these days, and more are coming – including one that will help you identify and avoid “bad drivers.” Meanwhile, Apple is working on a way to help map routes to ensure you’re never out of cellphone coverage. More from TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95057"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95057"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=95057"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=95057"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=95057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}