Automatic launches a Web Dashboard; Progressive teams up with Zubie
Automatic is a handy little device that plugs into your car's OBD (On Board Diagnostics) port, linking to your iPhone to give you an idea of how efficient your driving is. TUAW reviewed the US$99.95 Automatic earlier in 2014, and the device does an amazing job of providing you with data about your trips and driving abilities, all through the free Automatic app. Yesterday the company announced a new feature that's instantly available to all users -- a Web Dashboard for viewing data from any web browser, including Safari and other browsers on iPad.
As a happy Automatic user, I immediately logged into the Web Dashboard with my account and was greeted with a very iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite-like page displaying a regional map marked with many of my more recent driving trips. Those trips are detailed on the right sidebar with your Automatic "score", total mileage driven, MPG, the amount spent on fuel (based on regional gas prices), and total hours spent driving. It's possible to sort trips based on those different factors, and those who want to slice 'n dice their driving data can even export the information as a .CSV file.
In similar news, Progressive Insurance announced today that it's teaming up with another driving tracking service -- Zubie -- to allow Zubie users to share their data with Progressive as part of the company's Snapshot program. If the device shows that a driver is safe and doesn't speed or jam on the brakes constantly, those participating can get a discount on their auto insurance.
