Car safety is a serious concern, after all, that’s one of the reasons why Google is making their automated cars. So far, there has been a minimal amount of accidents reported and none of them had to do with the software that makes the cars move, they occurred because of human intervention. One of the reasons that so many accidents happen is because people keep looking at their smartphone while driving, distracting them even for a slight moment about what’s going on in the road. The problem is not as trivial as saying that the solution is to not look at the display while driving, as important information is reaching users at all time. That’s why interfaces like Android Auto exist, enlarging some elements to make them glanceable while keeping users connected at all times.
A company called Automatic created an attachment to measure mileage, gas usage, performance and even engine health, then, users can see this information in a companion app. Now, they have created another app with a customizable interface meant to be used while driving. It’s called AutoDash and it lets users customize a car-friendly panel with some apps and widgets that they might come in handy while driving without the clutter of other interfaces. When synchronized with the Automatic adapter, the app starts as soon as users turn on the ignition. If users decide to leave the app while driving, a floating icon will appear so they can return to AutoDash easily.
AutoDash can be programmed to launch some functions right from the start and some of the apps or widgets that can be added to the panel include auto-navigate to Home or work, record voice memos, create quick to-do lists, recognize a song from the radio, set a timer for a paid parking lot, call important contacts, use some music and audio apps and even some IFTTT triggers to control additional devices. The main bar can easily send the ETA to a contact and there’s a customizable SMS Auto-Reply function to let some contacts know that the user is on the road, plus, it shows current events in case users want to drive to them. It is currently on version 1.0, but they are promising some enhancements on version 1.1, including landscape support, additional widget support, the ability to create groups or folders and probably additional panels.
