CarTracker
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Automatic's car tracker works with Nest to give you a cozy arrival
Your car and house may soon be having conversations about your whereabouts, thanks to a new feature from Automatic's car tracker. The $100 dongle (US only) -- which attaches to your car's ODB-II port to track your driving and save fuel -- now works with Nest's thermostat to optimize home heating and power usage. The system allows you to create basic "rules" that can switch Nest into home or away mode, depending on your whereabouts. It also supports deeper functionality, that could, say, crank the heat when you pass a certain landmark on a specific day. The systems will supposedly work together to learn your habits with the goal of eventually giving you "just-in-time" heating control to minimize energy usage. Or, you know, plot your overthrow.
BlackLine's GPS Snitch tracks straying partner's joyrides
Oh yeah, we've seen GPS devices intended to sit secretively within the confines of a motorcar and beam back real-time tracking data to the powers that be, but typically, they're fairly subtle about their purpose. Not so with the brashly named GPS Snitch, which makes no bones about its intentions of helping you catch that unfaithful SO or your rebellious teenager. As expected, this unit simply hides within one's vehicle and can notify administrators via SMS / e-mail as soon as motion is detected or a pre-determined perimeter is exceeded. Additionally, you can track the vehicle's progress through BlackLine's website, and just in case the week of battery life isn't enough, it can be hardwired to the car battery for logging extra long road trips. Ready to quell your suspicions? Grab one now for $399 plus applicable service plan fees.
