Samsung announced its connected car offering, Samsung Connect Auto for consumer and fleet applications that also provides Wi-Fi hotspots. It is due out in the United States through AT&T in the second quarter of the year. This product directly competes with Zubie, mojio, Delphi Connect and Automatic. Now that hum has geofencing it is also a competitor. In the announcement Samsung states that is working with automakers.
Samsung, in the past, has been able to leverage its power as a major smartphone maker to offer discounts for complimentary products such as the the Galaxy Gear smartwatch.
- Vehicle health diagnostics.
- Suggestions for better fuel economy.
- Insurance discounts.
- Safe driving suggestions.
- Emergency notification of contacts.
- Geofencing.
- Car locating via GPS and LTE.
- Connections to mechanics.
- Travel logs for expense reports.
- UBI- usage-based insurance discounts.
- Development platform.
The backbone of Samsung Connect Auto is KNOX security and Tizen OS for interoperability. Samsung KNOX provides security from the hardware through the software levels, including applications. Prioritizing security differentiates Samsung Connect Auto from competitor offerings. Developers can leverage Tizen and Samsung’s Software Development Kit (SDK) to further evolve additional services.
Fuel efficiency analysis helps drivers consume less fuel through the use of proprietary algorithms that analyze miles travelled, time on the road and price per gallon – a valuable feature for those in the transportation and logistics field.
Drivers can leverage the solution’s Usage-Based Insurance (UBI) feature by opting to share their vehicle data to receive valuable insurance offerings.
For those business people on the road, journey logs automatically generate an email report to help users track expenses while traveling for work, providing business mobility efficiency.
Samsung is creating a new partner ecosystem of carriers, insurance companies, roadside assistance operators and maintenance networks. Additionally, by partnering with auto manufacturers, Samsung is helping to bridge the gap between the automotive industry and the mobile world.
Companies currently participating as part of Samsung’s connected car ecosystem include Amdocs, AT&T, AXA, Blink by Agero, China Unicom, Cisco, Crawford & Company, Ericsson, Europcar, HERE, IBM, Jasper, Oberthur Technologies, Openbay, Orange, Tantalum and Willis Towers Watson.