Parking is as easy as talking now that SpotHero has debuted voice-activated, in-car parking reservations by way of Google Assistant in Android Auto. At CES, the parking reservation service debuted a new integration that helps drivers find and secure parking spaces with nothing more than their voice. Thanks to Google Assistant’s integration into Android Auto (which is making its way into an increasing number of cars), folks will soon have the ability to search and then pay for parking in an entirely hands-free manner.
Upon launch, the SpotHero feature will be available in more than 50 major markets throughout the U.S. and other parts of North America, and should be as easy as saying, “Hey Google, book parking.” The functionality depends upon SpotHero’s end-to-end parking mobility platform known as HeroConnect, which allows for automotive, transportation, and technology companies alike to offer parking reservations and transactions in their native platforms.
“By working with the Google Assistant to bring voice-activated parking to drivers, we see huge opportunities to improve not only the parking experience, but the driving experience overall,” said SpotHero’s chief product officer Anthony Broad-Crawford. “At SpotHero, we built our parking mobility platform, HeroConnect, to make parking frictionless for drivers on whatever device they choose and to make integrating with our platform as easy as possible for our partners.”
SpotHero has worked alongside Google for quite some time, and boasts being a top-ranked app in the Maps and Navigation category of Google Play. In October 2017, the app served as a partner for Pay with Google, making it easier still for drivers to efficiently pay for their parking and be on their merry way. Of course, SpotHero doesn’t work exclusively with the Android family — in fact, the app is currently running a promotion that allows you to save 20 percent off parking fees when you use Apple Pay.
Parking has become something of a hot topic in the auto industry, with BMW recently acquiring Parkmobile. The move, the automaker said, will help address urban mobility issues, particularly in the realm of traffic — around 30 percent of most gridlock is said to be caused by folks looking for parking spaces. But with help from folks like SpotHero, this could soon change.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.