For the most part, a lot of the powerful smartphone and tablet features used on a daily basis become impossible the moment people hop into a car. Solutions exist that try to connect the phone to the car but they end up providing minimal interaction, usually focusing on music and calls at the most. With or without these solutions, though, it’s always pretty dangerous to use a smart device that requires drivers to take their view off the road. Voice-controlled options have offered a hands-free approach, but even those can be limited.
To maintain a driver’s tactile connection to their smart device and keep their eyes on the road, App Your Car was created. The in-car smart device input system is compatible with both iOS and Android, and features a wireless controller and a dashboard mount. The wireless controller features buttons on its front and back that can be used to access categories of apps and maneuver through them, all the while still keeping a driver’s hands on the wheel. The dashboard mount is meant to be placed within a driver’s field of view, providing strong magnets that keep a device in place, wirelessly charging devices, and facilitating the use of Bluetooth to stream music and audio. Its companion app makes selecting apps easier. For $99, backers can obtain their own App Your Car system with an expected ship date of June 2015. The campaign is looking for $40,000.
The company behind App Your Car claim they had safety on their mind while designing the product, but it seems a bit haphazard to focus on a physical device while driving to access and move through apps. Granted, it has its uses in music playing apps and navigating through calendars, but such small type on a smart device will make it more of a hassle. The real star of the show is the dashboard mount that wirelessly charges devices, something that can be combined with the more powerful voice features of a, say, Moto X. A focus on voice rather than physical control would’ve made the product reach much farther than it does.