ParkWhiz Staff

This is the second post about the future of the connected car. Check out part one here. The full piece originally appeared on WardsAuto.

In my previous post, I discussed the landscape that’s driving the future of the connected car, but now, let’s take a look at three of its growth areas:

1. Smart Parking. There’s nothing like the stress of parking, especially trying to find a convenient spot. There are a finite number of parking spaces for a seemingly infinite number of cars, and cities across the country struggle to meet the demand. In extreme cases, spots can even go for the price of a house. More commonly, people must invest large amounts of time in their commutes to find a spot and bundles of money from their budgets. Parking apps have emerged to provide an easier, cheaper and more efficient solution to the parking problem. Drawing from the Uber-inspired on-demand market, these apps provide consumers with local garage availability, as well as the opportunity to book and pay a lower rate for a space in advance. As a successful smartphone app, it’s easy to see the draw of an integrated parking reservation and payment system included in connected cars. For the first time ever, people could monitor and secure parking spaces on their front dashboard as easily as they browse music listings. There’s no saying that parking can’t be integrated seamlessly into the driving experience, creating a frictionless experience for people, just as other technology such as radio and air conditioning have been in past eras.

2. Vehicle-to-vehicle Connectivity. While the connected car itself offers great promise, there’s further opportunity to connect vehicles to one another. Waze has been successful at monitoring traffic and advising drivers of the least-congested routes, but cars with networks for short-range communications can interact with other nearby cars to gather such information as speed and potential hazards, creating a network of safer, easier driving. By sending notifications of black ice or warning drivers of an upcoming accident, the connected car could actually prepare you for what’s ahead on the road. AT&T and Audi are already collaborating on the integrated navigation, Internet database and Wi-Fi system. We may see soon enough that the future of the connected car in fact involves a networked web of numerous connected cars in the vicinity.

3. Car-status Monitoring. In an effort to provide more efficient and safe ways to drive, devices are being created to help drivers monitor their car. Tools such as the Automatic, the Mojio and the Zubie collect data to inform people the most fuel-efficient ways to press the pedal, the car’s location and more. The data collected acts as a “Fitbit for your car.” The connected car is also a way to ensure the safety of drivers, particularly teens who live in a world of multitasking. The car could provide information about where the driver is, how fast he or she is going or automatically call for help in an accident.

While it has yet to completely catch on with the general public, the prospect of new technology outfitting the connected car offers endless promise. With in-car assistance informing the driver about affordable parking availability, local traffic and hazard information and convenient engine diagnostics and car status updates, it’s clear that the connected car will one day soon be an inseparable part of the driving experience.

Everyone has a Thanksgiving morning tradition. Whether it is cleaning, cooking, or sleeping, there is something that makes us all excited for the holiday. I, as most New Yorkers, get up early every Thanksgiving Day morning to get ready for the Thanksgiving Day parade. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is a tradition started in 1924 that celebrates the holiday with floats, balloons, marching bands, clowns, and live performances. This year’s musical acts range from Train, Trey Songz, and Shawn Mendes to many more! It is the perfect family event to get your day started.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade will start at 9 AM at 77th Street & Central Park West and end at 34th Street and 7th Avenue around 12 PM. As you can imagine this event will be hectic so we recommend planning ahead as much as possible.

Now that you’re going, you’re probably wondering where to watch. Here are the best 3 places to watch the parade from:

1. The Shops at Columbus Circle mall in the Time Warner Center has the best viewing space from its 2nd and 3rd floors. The mall itself opens at 9 am so get there early and grab a cup of coffee as you enjoy the parade.
2. The parade will be on Sixth Avenue for about 21 blocks. It gives you ample time to find the perfect space for you and your friends.
3. If for some reason you can’t make it to the parade, then I suggest watching it from home. It will be broadcasted on NBC. Trust me, you don’t want to miss the animated balloons!

This is the first of two posts about the future of the connected car. The full piece originally appeared on WardsAuto.

The rise of Internet availability, data and connectivity over the past decade-plus have caused a fundamental shift in the way we use technology to interact with our surroundings. Connected homes, fitness devices, TVs, watches, taxi services and even medical devices have emerged as a result of exponential smartphone innovation and widespread use.

It would have seemed only natural—inevitable, in fact—that a connected car would rise to better assist users and more seamlessly integrate the world around the driver into the car. In fact, GSMA predicts that every car will be connected by 2025. In order for this to be fully realized, the interaction between technology and driver has to be frictionless, maximizing safety, while also assisting driving. The interface has to be so carefully thought through and tested in order for car manufacturers to get it just right.

As it stands now, the driver-technology interaction dynamic is something that’s up for solving. Recent reports found that drivers aren’t using a majority of the technology built into cars: 20 percent of new-vehicle owners have never used 16 of the 33 technology features measured, 38 percent have never used mobile routers and 32 percent have never used the built-in apps. There’s potential for the connected car to evolve and grow to not only better assist the driving experience, but ensure safety as well. While some aspects such as Google Glass for your car may be superfluous, there are real areas where in-car connectivity can help drivers everywhere.

In my next post, I’ll detail three growth areas for the connected car. In the meantime, what are your thoughts about the connected car? Tweet them to me @theaashishdalal or leave a comment.

Now that the temperature is dropping, it is time to get your heavy fall clothes out of the closet. While in the back of the closet, make sure to grab your skates because it’s time to go ice skating!

If you hate long lines then I would recommend going before mid November, and booking Bryant Park parking in advance. Early November has the best weather for ice skating. Not too cold, but also cold enough for a light jacket and to enjoy a nice cup of hot cocoa after ice skating.

I am a big fan of Winter Village at Bryant Park. The skating rink is perfectly located in Midtown Manhattan with access to a lot of restaurants and parking, just use the ParkWhiz app to find cheap parking. The area also has a natural upbeat rhythm since it is so close to 5^th Avenue and Time Square. So you can easily make a day out of it and go shopping, eating, or just exploring before or after your visit to Winter Village.

Starting October 30^th, Winter Village will be open from 8am-10pm. General admissions is free if you own your own skates. Don’t worry if you don’t own skates, you can easily rent skates for $15 before November 20^th and $19 afterwards. There are several garages in the area that will make parking easy. There are also free lockers for your personal items. Just make sure to bring a lock or you’ll have to pay $9 for one.

Unless you are fortunate enough to work from home, the sad fact is that you will be spending a large portion amount of time commuting to and from your job. Thanks to the help of your smartphone and some fantastic new apps, wasted time on the drive can be kept to a bare minimum.

Here’s a list of our favorite apps for commuters:

Automatic: Now You Can Carry Your Mechanic with You

Automatic’s matchbook sized device ($100) plugs into your car’s onboard diagnostics (OBD) port. It stays neatly out of sight, using Bluetooth to send information to your iOS or Android cell phone.

Here is a sample of the wide variety of apps for commuters that work with Automatic:

1. License+ keeps track of inexperienced drivers when you’re not around, logging sharp turns, rapid acceleration or deceleration and other risky behavior. This information is available on their web-based dashboard.
2. Are you tired of schlepping your friends around without compensation? When you are done driving around, UnMooch fairly calculates how much money they should reimburse you.
3. YourMechanic runs diagnostic checks on your car, letting you know what your vehicle needs before it is serious enough to cause an expensive, inconvenient breakdown.

Waze: Connecting Drivers around The World For Common Good

Waze teams up with Google and members around the world to provide real time updates about road conditions. Millions of users send reports in exchange for points that can be redeemed for adorable avatars to represent achievements. They even send information about fuel prices, so you can save on gas!

Moovit: Community Powered Mass Transit Updates

Moovit is similar to Waze, using crowdsourced information to keep track of delays and other problems on public transportation. This iOS and Android app offers users public transportation schedules and maps with live reported delays and service alerts. If you use Android Wear, you can even have the information sent directly to your watch!

Bike Maps: Simplify Your Bicycle Commutes

Riding your bike to work saves money and is great for your health, but the logistics can make it impractical. Bike Maps for iOS gives high resolution maps of major metro areas and rural bike paths and will even provide additional maps upon request. Not only are there pictures of the terrain, but you are able to use this app to find rest stops and other services. Bike Maps does not require the Internet to work, making it a practical choice for areas with poor cellphone reception.

ParkWhiz: Making Parking in the City as Simple as Your Driveway

We would be remiss discussing our favorite commuter apps and not mentioning ParkWhiz! Driving in major cities can be stressful and trying to find a spot to park that is safe, legal and available can seem like an exercise in futility.

ParkWhiz eliminates the uncertainty of trying to find a place to leave your car. Reserve your parking place with your smartphone, then show the parking lot attendant the ParkWhiz pass, and you’re good to go. Parking should always be this simple!

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that today’s smartphones aren’t just a camera with social apps and games piggybacking on top of a telephone. Modern phones have serious computing power. You can avoid a lot of the stress and wasted time if you take advantage of these apps for commuters, giving you more time for the things that are important to you!