parking spot
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Chevrolet finally adds ‘find my car’ to its app
Chevrolet is adding a "vehicle locate" feature to its mobile app that lets you, and up to 10 designated people, pinpoint your car's whereabouts. Though it doesn't offer constant tracking in the vein of Tesla's always-on GPS or Uber's Trip Tracker, it could still be handy if you forget where you parked or to keep tabs on loved ones. Unless, of course, you already use Google Maps or Apple Maps to save your parking spot or a third-party GPS tracker as an extra means of security. Just update the myChevrolet app and you'll see a new tile for the option, which is compatible with Chevys dating back to 2012 and comes bundled with the Remote Access Plan. Then you can set it up to notify up to 10 people when your vehicle either enters or leaves a designated boundary area (aka a geofence). This custom zone can be as wide as a 20-mile radius or as small as a specific address. Each person you choose to receive alerts will have to opt-in first. The mobile app feature replaces the solely web-based Family Link option powered by GM's OnStar in-vehicle safety system.
Google Open Spot alerts Android users to freed parking spaces
Oh, sure -- this has certainly been tried before, but given that things like this need a critical mass of followers to be effective, we're particularly jazzed about Google's own initiative. Dubbed 'Open Spot,' this bloody brilliant Android (2.0 and up) application enables motorists to search for unclaimed spaces that have been reported by other Open Spot users, and once they head elsewhere, it allows them to mark their spot as open and available. Once a spot is marked, the color gradually fades from red to yellow the longer it remains unclaimed. We've given it a quick test here on our end, and while it seems snappy enough (and yes, we definitely received a Karma Point for every space we dropped), the obvious omission is the ability to add notes to each marked place. There really should be a way to denote whether a spot is metered, covered by some wacky city permit law or submerged in a foot of water -- here's hoping the next update will enable comments. Hit that source link (or just open up the App Market) to grab it for free, and jump on past the break to see how your fellow city dwellers feel about this marvelous invention.
