Have you ever wandered through a large parking lot or parking structure, trying to remember where you parked your car? Your smartphone in your pocket can take pictures, surf the web, record HD video, and make video conference calls, but somehow it can't locate your car for you. But maybe soon, it can.
An Apple patent for exactly such a function was recently published. Details are in this article:
http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2013/04/apple-reveals-an-advanced-indoor-mobile-location-application-for-finding-a-vehicle-in-a-parking-structure.html
It works based on a device placed in the car, or even any other vehicle like a motorcycle or bicycle. It uses BlueTooth LE wireless technology, a Low Energy variant of Bluetooth that allows its devices to not have to charge for up to a year, which would be perfect for a permanent device to put in a car.
The location mechanism relies on many of the various systems already present in most iPhones, including GPS, gyroscopes, and accelerometers.
Given that many vehicles today already have BlueTooth by default, I wouldn't be surprised to see this feature coming out in new iPhones very soon. Owners of BlueTooth-equipped vehicles could set it up and begin using it right away. This would definitely reduce hassle and solve a real-world problem facing many users.
Oh this is an interesting one. Although I can't see how this would be any better than writing down the name of the parking lot and row on your phone's memopad. I can imagine it will be useful for those who forget where they've parked in the super large lots at places like Disneyland, but on a daily basis it's not too practical. It's like losing your keys and keeping a pair under the doormat, but that won't happen too often.
ReplyDeleteThe problem of trying to remember where you parked your car is a common problem and this seems like a useful solution. Furthermore, the fact that apple is integrating their technology into other hardware, is a very interesting proposition for the future.
ReplyDeleteThis does seem like an interesting solution to this age old problem that every one has faced at some point in their lives!
ReplyDeleteHowever, Bluetooth is usually close range. How close do you have to be to your car before it starts showing upon the radar on your phone?
I think that this patent is very useful and novel, and definitely has commercial applications. I have used a GPS device in the past to find the location of my parking spot, which had just been activated to remember the location of the spot at the time that I had left the car. Notably, this patent relies on Bluetooth technology and doesn't require any priming, leading me to think that, if it is implemented successfully, many users will find it valuable.
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