Samsung Finds Its Way Into Automobiles With Connect Auto Dongle

After Apple and Google, Samsung is also showing interest in automobiles industry. The South Korean technology conglomerate ahead of Mobile World Congress unveiled Samsung Connect Auto, a dongle that can be plugged into the diagnostic port and bring LTE Internet connectivity to it.

The biggest attraction of the Samsung Connect Auto is its compatibility with old cars. In fact, Samsung says that because its car dongle utilises the on-board diagnostic (ODB) II port, it can be used on nearly all cars built in the past two decades.

The dongle is aimed at helping users improve their driving experience by monitoring fuel efficiency and other important feeds by making use of geo-fencing and driving safety algorithms. The dongle will gather send data and location info to a cloud-based server, where all the analysing and processing. These pieces of information will help users with features such as 'Find My Car' real-time GPS app.

The auto product, which is primarily focused on enterprises, will run Tizen, Samsung's home-grown operating system, and also include Knox security feature and services delivered by its partners. Its 4G LTE connection can also serve as Wi-Fi hotspot for the mobile devices that passengers are travelling with. The company currently hasn't disclosed the price of the Samsung Connect Auto.

"We have been listening to our customers and pushing boundaries to create a connected car ecosystem that seamlessly integrates our products and partner services for a better driving experience," said Dr. Injong Rhee, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Software and Services, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. "Through collaborations with valuable partners and experts across many industries, we are carrying out our vision of bringing IoT technology to people's everyday lives."

Samsung says that it is currently working with AT&T in the United States to launch the service in the second quarter of 2016. Some of the companies that Samsung has lured into thus far include China Unicom, Cisco, Ericsson, Europcar, Here, IBM, Jasper, Openbay, Orange, and Willis Towers Watson.