Second Thoughts: Automatic

I ran across this Engadget post a couple of days ago and it inspired me to write a bit more about what I think of my experience with Automatic.  This post is intended to be read after my First Thoughts.  Generally thinking, I have the following complaints, which are organized from most to least significant:

• No generalized access to my data
• Limited insight into their presentation of data
• No ability to customize anything
• Missed rides / failed trip processing
• No Real-Time Statistics
• Access to Child Automatics
• Provide Actionable Feedback

While the list is reasonably wrong, this should not be read as me totally dissing the product.  I'm not totally dissatisfied and will continue to use it for the foreseable future.

No Generalized Data Access

I can't get to my own data.  Until Automatic fixes this, I won't be satisfied with this product.  I should be able to develop either my own tools to examine how I drive, or load the data into an app that will let me do this.  Unacceptable limitation of using Automatic.  This has to get fixed, Automatic makes no commitment to its users to have access to their data.  Anybody figure out how to hack this information out of the app?  Looks like people are using other devices to do this, I'd rather like to avoid the hassle.

Limited Insight Into Data Presentation

Automatic won't share specifics of how they calculate cost per trip except by saying general things like:

Automatic also detects fill-ups and even tracks local gas prices to show you how much you're spending.

While they may think that is helpful, I don't really think that it specific enough.  This system should smart enough to ask me if I've filled up if the GPS coordinate of my car is at a gas pump.  I should prompt me to take a picture of the gas pump before I leave and then process the information.  Ultimately, the system should be able to correct for inaccurate information being reported via the OBD port and calibrate for actual gas usage.  It can't be that hard, though a quick scan (or here), suggests that this doesn't exist yet for purpose built apps, but still.

Also, as the comments on the Engadget post suggest, there is a wide range in the Automatic's estimated mileage calculations.  This could be fixed relatively easily.  Also, prompt the user to enter their odometer reading every so often to help calibrate the GPS data versus what the car thinks.

Lack of Customization

Some of this may be due to a misguided notion of keeping the interface simple, but I don't think that Automatic is making a good choice by not allowing its users to customize the interface.  Hide the complexity, but allow users that care to make changes.  I think all of the following ought to be allowed:

• Customized chirps/sounds: let the user pick the noise when events occur (hard acceleration, etc.)
• Let users define their own events (e.g., X mph over local speed limit, crossing a predefined geographic boundary - also resulting in an email to a parent)
• Let users open trips up in Maps
• Show more trip information, including average speed and traffic conditions

I'm reasonably unimpressed with the current interface, shown for a trip from my office to Reagan National Airport shown here:

The displayed information is too limited.

Missed Trips / Failed Trip Processing

This has already happened a couple of times to me and it doesn't make any sense.  A couple of thoughts here:

• Automatic should alert you if you are moving at a car-level speed and it is not receiving information from the OBD device (but be smart about it, don't send me an alert if I'm taxiing on a runway).  Given me an alert and then try again to reconnect to the device.  Give me some trouble-shooting tips.
• When a trip fails to process - open up the feedback panel right away - Automatic should hear about all of these, not just a random set of failures.
• Recognize failures by the fact that a car is not where it was last time Automatic connected!  This seems obvious.  Allow the user to estimate usage based on best available information (if a commuting route, there will be plenty of information, if non-standard route, then just overall average driving behavior on similar roads).

No real-time statistics

I'd like to see a dashboard similar to other programs out there like Torque.  Should be an additional screen that won't pollute the main Automatic screen.  Should be customizable up to the limits of the information that my car provides.

Access to Child Automatics

This is probably the most vague comment on my list, but still one that could be quite powerful.  Let me install an automatic in the car that my son drives, force him to run the application, and provide me with the ability to:

• Monitor the car's location and velocity in real time
• Set up geographic fences, which if crossed will result in an email or text message sent to me
• Send me a weekly digest of all of the locations that the car went to over the last week

This sounds big brother-ish, and it is.  But we are dealing with a teenage drivers who aren't as mature as we'd all like them to be.  Knowing that they are constantly monitored has to be a helpful incentive.

Provide Actionable Feedback

Give me a weekly e-mail digest of my driving behavior, how it compares to other weeks and three things that I can do to improve my mileage or the safety of my driving.  Think Fitbit.

Update 2013-11-02:

I'm less convinced that its wholesale missing trips.  I've noticed that trips that weren't on the list seemingly pop back up on the list at a later point.  Perhaps this is just an app issue.

First Thoughts of Automatic

I have been patiently waiting for my Automatic for some time.  I ordered it about two months ago and was hostage to them finally releasing it.  It came this past Friday.  Here's the opening:

My key fob for some perspective on size

Open the box

And that is all of the documentation you get . . . good thing that they've given me a sticker

The key piece of hardware.  Note the speaker holes so it can squawk at you when you behave badly

Installation

Reasonably painless.  The app downloads quickly and then walks you through the steps to get set up.  I didn't even have to get down on my hands and knees to find the OBD port.  Once you firmly place the fob in, it will chirp and you can continue through the process.

The view if I bend down to look - my port had no cover over it

I can barely see the Automatic fob when sitting in the drivers' seat

My only hiccup was the Automatic didn't see ignition the first time that I tried.  I went through the process once again, and the second time was a charm.

First Thoughts

Real-time Feedback

The Automatic does chirp as advertised, but unfortunately in a way that is indecipherable.  It chirps when you break too hard or when you accelerate too quickly.  From my limited driving so far, I have found that I have to slow down pretty sharply before it yells at me.  So far, those times have only been when I had to (i.e., somebody in front of me was doing something stupid).  It would seem like a bad thing that I don't slow down quickly enough because I'm somewhat worried about getting chirped at.

So far, I'd rather just have somebody yelling English comments at me.

Details?  Where are the details?

So I know that there are a lot of details being captured by Automatic along side the GPS data from my phone.  None of it is accessible at least from the app itself.  I know its early for Automatic, but frankly this should be the easy stuff.  I'm either going to be their biggest fan if I can get my data, or their biggest detractor.

Here are the details I'd like to be able to get access to:

• GPS track of every trip with the other associated information (fuel usage, braking, acceleration, other car messages).  I assume that this would look something like the Garmin training XML format.  This could open up a whole eco-system of add-on analysis packages to explore the data and provide useful information to the users.
• Access to a website that lets me download all of this information (why in the world is their not a website where I can see the information that I can also see on the phone-based app?)
• Compare (similar to Strava) trips and segments that I drive on a regular basis.  
• Show me my acceleration habits compared to ideal for my car and the terrain that I've passed over - this is probably something that you look at a few times, learn what you are going to learn and then move on.  That said, Automatic could send you emails every month to let you know how you are doing (I'm thinking like Nest and FitBit).
• Sum of all of the tolls that I should have paid based on my trips
• Beep when I'm 10 mph over on all streets.  In fact, let me choose the number of mph over.  Just chirping at 70 mph is only mildly useful.
• Comparison of my mileage against that of others with the same make, model and year car
• Same as above, normalized for traffic, traffic lights, terrain, stop signs.
• To be fair, Automatic does show you your mileage against a theoretical EPA milage for that segment.  The problem here is that I don't know how that is determined.  Does it take into account terrain, traffic conditions, etc.?  I don't think it does based on my limited use.
• Feedback from other Automatic drivers for real-time traffic information (maybe this is already covered well by Google?)
• Ability to see and set gas price levels.  Even better would be to choose my favorite gas station and have Automatic keep tabs on what I'm paying.  (BTW: How does it know how much I pay?  It probably has a good estimate, but doesn't share that with me.)  Maybe this should be as simple as putting in the number of gallons and total cost every time I fill up.  The interface could be as simple as taking a picture of the fuel pump display, no?

Automatic Marketing

I think that they are missing the boat.  There should be a much larger and more interesting segment to market to than their current website indicates.  Why in the world are they not marketing to parents?  This seems like an obvious segment.  The idea would be simply this: force your child to run the app on their phone if they wanted to be able to drive your (the parent's) car.  As a parent, you can:

1. Look at the driving score (particularly speeding issues)
2. See exactly where they went

Even if its only after the fact, this should be a huge deterrent from the kids doing anything stupid.  Better would be the ability to have a parent/child account hierarchy and have real-time or near real-time data available to the parent on-line.  Ongoing access to a car should be a huge incentive for good behavior.  As well as their ability to push back on kids egging them on (i.e., their parents will look at exactly where they went - so they can't go to an unapproved place).  My next Automatic will be for the kids' car.  And that will be a precondition of them having access to the car.  But this would be more compelling with the additional features.