In February, ZTE and Mojio announced an agreement to work on a connected car initiative. Today they are announcing the development of this technology as T-Mobile’s SyncUP DRIVE solution.
T-Mobile/ZTE SyncUP DRIVE OBD-II device/Images courtesy ZTE
The new technology will utilize the OBD-II port found in every car made in the U.S. since 1996 and provide such features as 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, vehicle geo-location, fuel consumption, and safety alerts. SyncUP DRIVE will also be able to provide real-time vehicle diagnostics and long-term maintenance notifications while also providing a glimpse of driving habits and there will also be a Distracted Driver feature to help curb texting while driving.
Mojio provides an open platform that gives user access to a growing range of connected car apps and services from third-party providers such as Amazon Alexa and IFTTT.
The plug-in device, developed by ZTEWelink, features Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS technology and has built-in accelerometer and gyro. It can allow up to 10 Wi-Fi users simultaneously. Other uses include driving habit monitoring (for teens or aging adults), roadside assistance, theft detection and tracking, vehicle safety and security, and parking location and fuel finder.
The service will be available beginning Nov. 18 from T-Mobile. No cost for the device or services has been announced.