iPhone parks Skoda owners’ cars

Guest post by Peter Smith

Automaker Skoda has jumped on the newest technology debuted at the 2011 International Motor Show in Frankfurt this week. It enabled the Skoda vehicle to be controlled from a simple application with an iPhone.

This is not a totally new idea. The first car to display this was the Volkswagen Sharan. It is such a novelty using an iPhone app. The Skoda cars and SUV’s were filmed using the remote to start, then back up in reverse using the application to turn its wheel, and perpendicular park between two cars with about 2 lengths between them. This is a feat that’s hard enough while driving the actual car and sends the younger generation of first time owners into a tizzy. Implanted sensors located by the steering wheel have been used in different models by a Beta program called Park4U. This program still needs a driver to control the acceleration and brakes as they weren’t able to be added to the software program platform. The new iPad app does away with that need and your Skoda car can be entirely parked from about 100 feet by remote means; even the trickier parallel and perpendicular parking.

The Park4U is trying to catch up with what Skoda owners have now with the iPhone application. It has since added a remote control of the brake and macerator but its takes a lot of manipulation. The biggest advantage would be parking in narrow spaces. You wouldn’t have to worry about room to open a door on the driver’s side or for those that are wheelchair bound. It would help in cases where more space is needed for unloading or storing a wheelchair which has more relevant needs than one paring space can provide comfortably. The current version functions in a 22 inch headway of space. A goal by the company is 16” by 2012.

In the same vein, a popular video on YouTube has Skoda owners using their IPods for a whole new reason. Using the Apple application named SIRI, a connection is made through a Viper remote start system’s technology to trigger the ignition of the vehicle by a simple voice command. Voice commands and to pop the trunk are also recognized by the SIRI application. The video was uploaded in November of 2011 by a minister named Brandon Fiquette to remotely control your vehicle. The application gives voice indication and confirmation when the connection is made with an average time of one minute. The concept is in the development stages for commercial distribution, but control of your car through an iPhone for personal use can be had with the Viper SmartStart installation module using a proxy plug-in.
The Skoda cars, Estate, and SUV’s such as the Yeti have a wonderful feature of rear parking sensors and cameras that can be customized to you and your family’s personal needs. Soon in the horizon these and more special features will be controlled by your iPhone’s Applications to remotely park your Skoda vehicle and perform a variety of functions with the touch of a button and no driver needed.

Author

The article is contributed by Peter Smith. Peter is newbie technical writer who loves to create small write-ups, novels and short stories. Visit his site to know more about zuinige auto and lease auto.