MapmyIndia has launched a plug and play device called DriveMate that connects to cars via the OBD (on-board diagnostics) port and provides location, ignition and status reports, alerts of the vehicle via Android, iOS and Windows Phone apps. The device is the size of an USB pendrive, and comes with a rechargeable 170mAh battery. It displays status through 2 LEDs and supports GPS and GSM technologies. The company claims the GPS is accurate to within 10 meters. The device comes with a user manual, a quick start guide, warranty, a SIM agreement and an activation form. The company has not revealed the cost of the device, rather redirects users to directly get in touch if interested to buy one. The device comes with a SIM card although it requires a separate SMS package top up. The top up comes in 2 varieties, a ‘250’ pack that includes 1250 SMSes, and a ‘500’ pack that includes 2500 SMSes. The company does not reveal the prices here either, but the packs presumably cost Rs 250 and Rs 500 respectively. Users will also need to renew the their service contracts after a year, although the price is once again not mentioned. The service contract basically enables users to continue receiving email alerts and use the app in sync with the device. The yearly service pack will need to be topped up with an SMS package to receive SMS alerts. The app: The device by itself is quite useless without MapmyIndia’s app, which works on…
