Car Versus Smartphone: What’s the Real Difference?
These days, most of us don’t leave the house without our smartphones. Even if we’re just taking a short drive to the grocery store, we rely on our smartphones to enhance the experience. We might use our phone’s navigation system to find the fastest route. We play music or a podcast to pass the time in the car. We send off a message to someone else while we’re driving.
But there’s an important question: is the smartphone really the best device to perform all of these functions?
Although this may seem like a no-brainer, it’s not. Because today’s smartphones are so multi-functional, the phone might not actually be the best choice for highly specialized functions that involve driving. Your phone’s telematics system is less capable than an in-vehicle telematics system. The in-vehicle system can track your car’s motions with much greater precision and always remains in the car itself.
This has numerous implications for the driving experience. Sure, in most cases, your phone can take you where you want to go. But the imprecision of the phone’s telematics system can lead to wrong turns and frustration. These problems are less likely with a more accurate in-vehicle system.
Greater accuracy also enables greater functionality. Imagine, for example, a system that could guide you to an open parking spot and pay for it wherever you go. This kind of functionality requires leveraging accurate in-vehicle telematics and cannot be easily automated using the smartphone alone.
Within the automotive industry, carmakers have struggled with how to incorporate smartphones. Most new cars today offer functions for integrating the smartphone. This is advantageous for in-vehicle entertainment. We want to be able to pick up where we left off on our audiobook when we get into the car, for example.
But what about tasks that are more directly related to driving? When it comes to navigation, tolls, fueling and parking, it would be better if we could incorporate these functions into the car itself. The car’s better telematics capacity will enable better driving-related services.
According to research conducted by Strategy Analytics, drivers want this functionality. When it comes to entertainment and tasks such as making a restaurant reservation, drivers want to use their phones. But they also want in-vehicle features that enhance the experience of navigating the roads and finding a parking space, i.e. functions directly related to the driving task itself.
This research indicates a market opportunity. Drivers recognize that their smartphones are not the best devices for all tasks — especially driving-related tasks that require precision. If automakers and other stakeholders can provide a better in-vehicle experience, they stand to benefit.
Parkofon leverages the unique advantage of in-vehicle telematics to provide drivers with a necessary service. What we do — helping drivers find parking and fuel and automatically pay for it — can’t really be easily replicated on today’s smartphones. But this valuable function can be provided another way: as an in-vehicle service.
