RoadsideAssistance
Latest
Waze can get you a roadside tow in Europe
Car trouble on the motorway is frustrating enough by itself, let alone if you don't have a roadside assistance plan to ease your worries. Waze may soon help get you out of a jam, though. The Google-owned navigation app is teaming up with Allianz Partners on an in-app Roadside Help (SOS) button for European drivers. Tap it and a call center or digital platform will get in touch to help you with a breakdown or emergency, whether or not you have insurance or a roadside assistance policy. You shouldn't have to frantically search for a towing company when all you want to do is get home.
Verizon's Hum can turn your '97 Stratus into a connected car
If you want in on the connected car action but your vehicle is nearly as old as the internet, Verizon's new Hum service may help. It's a $15 per month plan that includes an iOS or Android smartphone app and CDMA-enabled hardware that plugs into an OBD-II port, something all 1996 and newer vehicles have. (The port is also used by Automatic Link and other apps.) The device gathers engine diagnostic data and relays warnings to a visor-mounted speaker device and the smartphone app. If something's wrong, the app can provide more info and even an estimated cost for any repairs.
Renault introduces new 'get you home' guarantee for electric vehicles, but there's a catch
European auto-maker Renault wants EV buyers to know that if you run out of juice, it's got your back. Dubbed the "get you home" guarantee, the company will provide you with a loaner while they recharge your dead locomotive's battery. Of course, the offer only stands if it's due to 'uncontrollable circumstances' like inclement weather or unwieldy traffic, so don't just start trying to push that recommended range tough guy. The new policy should give folks without many charging stations or PlugShare participants nearby some added peace of mind. Sure beats having to wait for Enterprise to come pick you up, huh?
OnStar's MyLink smartphone apps now available on Android and iOS
Looking to spend a little quality time with your ride this weekend? If you just plunked down for a 2011 Chevrolet or Cadillac, and you just so happen to own an Android or iOS-based phone, you can now download the myChevrolet, myCadillac, and OnStar MyLink mobile phone apps that were duly introduced last month. We're told that the Buick and GMC versions will be launched in November, with the whole crew enabling owners to access vehicle-specific information, vehicle diagnostics, and even lock / unlock the doors. There's still no word on widespread Facebook integration, but hey, baby steps... right?
OnStar announces MyLink smartphone apps, voice-based SMS, Facebook plans
Looks like OnStar users (and not just the Modest Mouse-lovin' yuppies in the commercial below) will soon get their beloved social networking where they need it least: behind the wheel. The slogan for the company's latest re-branding campaign is "responsible connectivity," meant to highlight the company's next-gen hardware, OnStar MyLink smart phone apps, and the Audio Facebook Updates feature we saw last month that, along with voice-based SMS, is being tested as we speak. MyLink, by far the most interesting of the lot, will let you start your car, hit the horn, control lights and door locks, and check your vehicle's diagnostics -- from your iPhone or Android handset. Now that we got all that out of the way, why don't you check out the newest commercial (and read some sweet, sweet PR) after the break?
OnStar expected to add Facebook updates and texting soon, might make some services free
Time waits for no infotainment system and GM's OnStar seems to be well aware of that fact. Plunging headfirst into the social world, the driver assistance service is said to be planning to start conveying Facebook status updates and text messages in an upcoming update, reputedly landing later this month. Text-to-speech translation will be done on incoming notes and voice-to-text is said to be undergoing testing for outgoing updates. So you can tell your friends you're free as a bird, born to run, rocking the highway, or whatever else, without ever having to speak to them directly or going to the effort of typing anything. The future sure is awesome. Oh, and it might not be all that expensive either, as we're also hearing that OnStar might make some services completely free to better compete with Ford's Sync. Original image courtesy of merriewells (Flickr)
GuidePoint Connect car kit promises to be "OnStar for everyone else"
It may not exactly look like much, but GuidePoint Systems is making some pretty lofty claims about its new GuidePoint Connect hands-free Bluetooth kit, which it says is nothing short of "OnStar for everyone else." To that end, the device adds emergency dispatch and roadside assistance services to the usual Bluetooth hands-free calling, the former of which is tied into Guidepoint's own response centers, while the latter can also be paired with GuidePoint's optional GPS tracking device for location-based services. Like OnStar, all of that is also simplified about as much as possible, with just four buttons on the main unit used to handle calls and the two emergency services. Look for the unit itself to set you back a somewhat hefty $399, which includes the emergency dispatch service for free, along with a one-year subscription to the GuidePoint Silver service that includes roadside assistance and other services.
Black smoke coming from underneath your MINI's hood? There's an app for that
Car companies have been trying tap into the iPhone's mojo seemingly since day one, and BMW subsidiary MINI is the latest to take a crack at it -- but this time, it's actually useful. The company's new roadside assistance app was created in partnership with Allstate and provides the usual array of services you'd expect from an OnStar-like system, including service appointment scheduling, troubleshooting guides and tow requests for when you find yourself in a genuine pickle. The phone will automatically submit your location and your car's VIN when you connect, so you spend a minimum amount of time sobbing into the phone. The app's available now for the BlackBerry Curve, Bold, and... yes, of course, the iPhone. Follow the break for video. [Via Autoblog]
MINI Roadside Assistance can get you and your MINI out of trouble spots
Our colleague, Sam Abuelsamid, at Autoblog has pointed out the release of a roadside assistance app from automaker MINI. The app, MINI Roadside Assistance [iTunes link], is a collaboration between the automaker and insurance company Allstate and allows one to access roadside assistance as well as the specify its causeSo, say you're driving your MINI to Las Vegas for your buddy's bachelor party. During the drive, your car overheats; it's 120 degrees and you forgot were too lazy to check the coolant before you left, what'd you expect to happen? Well, no need to worry -- roadside assistance is just a few taps away with MINI Roadside Assistance. MINI Roadside Assistance is available as a free download. MINI Cooper not included. More info and a demo video are available at Sam's article.
SPOT Assist brings GPS-based roadside assistance to Messenger
We haven't heard much from SPOT since its Messenger was initially launched in August of 2007, but the personal tracker is finally seeing an update courtesy of some swank new functionality. Announced here at CES, SPOT Assist is meant to provide GPS-based roadside assistance, a first for a portable device such as this. Users who purchase the upgrade will be able to slam the above pictured Help button in order to receive roadside (or jungle-side, as the case may be) service around the clock in the continental United States (and Canada later this Spring). SPOT even notes that OnStar relies on positioning data received through cellular networks, though a bona fide GPS lock should provide a much more accurate indication of your true location. The Messenger is currently selling for $169.99, while SPOT Assist service will run $129 per year; full release is past the break.
Cingular, Verizon slapped with class action suits
Wireless carriers in this country are no strangers to all manner of legal action, so it comes as little surprise to us to hear that we have a couple fresh lawsuits brewing of the class-action variety. In Cingular's case, it seems a group of former AT&T Wireless customers are worked up over the degredation of AT&T's legacy network following the merger, forcing many of them to either deal with the inferior reception, buy so-called "orange" phones and get on Cingular's network proper -- often incurring a transfer fee in addition to the cost of the phone, or leave Cingular entirely and pay the early-termination fee of $175. Verizon meanwhile is taking heat for covertly slapping some of its customers with their roadside assistance option starting in January 2004 at $2 / month, then later refusing refunds when folks got wise to the charge. We dream of one day achieving world peace between human- and carrier-kind -- but in the meantime, good luck sticking it to the Man, folks.
