One of my crazy smart friends likes to name everything. Her shoes, handbag and even her car has a unique name of its own. It’s as if she has special affection to offer each of them and not surprising she has a variety of one-way conversations telling them how much she cares and loves them at times. She swears it’s a two way dialogue. Laugh all I want at her crazy funny way, there’s no joke that her car is about to talk back with her.
The conversation won’t be about who she’s dating or how her new haircut looks behind the wheel. Thanks to smart devices Mojio and another called Automatic, you will finally hear what your car wants to tell you.
FEATURES
From diagnostic data that reminds you its oil needs to be changed to where you last parked your car, either of these similar competitive devices are easy to plug into a port hidden under your steering wheel and speak directly to you through free downloadable smartphone apps for both iOS and Android.
TEST RESULTS
We tested the Mojio on a 2001 Jeep Wrangler and made it feel like a new ride. The Mojio is about $150 bucks and connects to a wireless network to keep your car connected. One of its free apps Mojio Cloak shows where your car is at all times and will even push a notification to your phone when the ignition is started. The other one for $100 is called Automatic and has a brilliant safety feature that teams up with your smartphone via bluetooth. It’ll call 911 for help if it detects that you have been in a serious collision.
HOW IT CONNECTS
Both Mojio and Automatic connect easily out of the box to the On-board Diagnostic Port (ODB) standard in every car since 1996 and located within about 18 inches of the steering column under the dash. It’s the same port that a mechanic might plug into to tell how sick your car is when the check engine light sends you to an auto repair in Westminster. With either of these smart car devices, you will likely know what’s wrong before you drive in and will be armed with the power to keep a mechanic honest.
COMPATIBILITY
You can check compatibility with your current make and model online at either company’s site below. While the Automatic connects to your smartphone by Bluetooth, the Mojio which just took in another $5M in funding connects via wireless mobile networks which is free the first year, then $5 a month for the second year.
Check Your Car Compatibility
Mojio
Automatic
EXTRAS WE LOVE
Mojio’s level of connectivity brings out other features we loved such as the ability to know where your car is at any one time be it in someone’s carport or on the road. It can remotely report current mechanical conditions, and even share traffic updates. Both devices can offer feedback about your style of driving and ways you can save money on fuel as well as unnecessary wear and tear. If I had a teenager about to hit driving age, I’d want one of these to keep an eye on ‘em.
THE WINNER
Both the Automatic and Mojio are in early stage of growth. I like them both. I think either one is a winner as both passed each test with flying colors. The other benefit to these is when you think of them as platforms for talking for your car. Developers are bound to discover even newer smarter things you’ll want to hear when your car can finally talk to you.