Automatic: Your Smart Driving Assistant on Your Smartphone [Sponsor]

There’s a mountain of data inside your car waiting to be unleashed, and all you have to do is plug in a quick little connector and download a mobile application.

Automatic is a smart driving assistant that plugs into your car’s data port and lets you connect your smartphone (either iPhone or Android) with your car. By  talking to your car’s onboard computer and using your smartphone’s GPS and data plan to upgrade your car’s capabilities, Automatic will allow you to easily diagnose your engine light, never forget where you parked your car, and save hundreds of dollars on gas.

Automatic learns your driving habits and gives you suggestions through subtle audio cues to drive smarter and stop wasting gas. Thanks to a map view available on your phone, Automatic can display a trip timeline after every driving session, showing you how you’re doing with a Drive Score; the app can even track local gas prices and tell you how much you’re spending.

In case of engine problems, Automatic can decipher what the “check engine” light means and show you a description of the issue with a possible solution. And thanks to a feature called Crash Alert, Automatic can detect many types of serious crashes and automatically alert local authorities as well as your loved ones when you can’t.

Automatic is currently available in the US for iPhone and Android devices, with a 45-day return policy and free shipping in 2 business days.

MacStories readers can go to automatic.com/macstories to get $20 off and buy Automatic at just $79.99. For more information, check out Automatic’s website.

Our thanks to Automatic for sponsoring MacStories this week.

Apple Highlights ‘Shot with iPhone 6’ Gallery on Apple.com Homepage→

People take incredible photos and videos on iPhone 6 every day. And here are some of our favorites. Explore the gallery, learn a few tips, and see what’s possible with the world’s most popular camera.

Apple has launched a ‘Shot with iPhone 6’ mini-site today. The iPhone 6 truly has an incredible camera, which is extremely portable and has a large selection of apps (which Apple also highlights). Great shots.

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Connected: The Color of Myke’s Eyes→

This week, the boys discuss the iOS setup process and the possibly-confusing nature of the Apple Watch’s multiple variations before Stephen and Federico share their thoughts on the iPhone 6 Plus.

This week’s Connected has some of my early thoughts about the iPhone 6 Plus I’m trying (plus the usual follow-up and news commentary goodness). You can listen to the episode here.

Sponsored by:

  • Warby Parker: Glasses should not cost as much as an iPhone.
  • Sanebox: Clean up your inbox and spend less time on email.
  • Harry’s: An exceptional shave at a fraction of the price. Use code CONNECTED for $5 off your first purchase
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Virtual: Alto’s Adventure, with Ryan Cash→

This week Federico and Myke get excited for some upcoming game releases, and speak with Ryan Cash, from Snowman, about their game ‘Alto’s Adventure’.

On this week’s episode of Virtual, we interview Ryan Cash of Snowman about the excellent Alto’s Adventure (my review) – the making of the game from concept to early demos, pricing, player feedback, and more. You can listen to the episode here.

Sponsored by:

  • Squarespace: Build it Beautiful. Use code INSERTCOIN for 10% off
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Tapbots Relaunches Website, Working on Tweetbot 4.0 for iOS→

The fine folks at Tapbots have relaunched their website today, focusing on the apps they’re currently selling on the App Store as well as details on upcoming updates. From their blog post:

Welcome to the new tapbots.com! We hope this long overdue refresh is a better place to stay up to date with our apps. Our goal this year is to not only ship updates on a more regular basis, but also provide more insight into what we are currently working on. So lets get on to the important bits of information.

With the refresh, Tapbots has pulled Convertbot from the App Store (its core functionality is built into the newly released Calcbot 2), removed Pastebot, and set Weightbot free.

On the homepage, Tapbots confirms that a major update to Tweetbot for iOS (version 4.0) is in the works with iPad and landscape support, a redesigned profile view, and more. Tweetbot 3.0 was a fantastic take on Tapbots’ Twitter client (and it stacks up well to other Twitter apps on iOS) and, between this and Tweetbot for Yosemite, I’m excited to see more Tapbots software in 2015.

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Apple to Live Stream March 9 Event

With an update on their website, Apple has confirmed that they will offer a live stream of the March 9 event, rumored to focus on Apple Watch.

Join us on March 9 at 10 a.m. PDT for our special event. Watch the live video and follow every moment on apple.com/live.

In November, Apple released WatchKit, a set of developer tools to allow developers to make apps for the Watch, which will be bundled inside iOS software on the App Store. Apple is expected to show off Watch apps from launch partners at the March 9 event. This wouldn’t be the first time Apple has live streamed an Apple Watch presentation – the company prominently featured a live video event for the original Watch introduction in September 2014, alongside a live blog of the media event with photos and text updates on Apple.com.

The March 9 event will be streamed live at apple.com/live, with an Apple TV channel likely to be added a few hours ahead of the event.

Apple Announces Media Event for March 9

As first reported by Jim Dalrymple at The Loop, Apple will hold a special media event on March 9 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco.

Apple on Thursday sent out invites for a special event to be held on March 9, 2015. The event will be held in San Francisco at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, a venue that Apple has used many times before for special events.

According to recent speculation, Apple will set the stage for a second presentation of the Apple Watch, first unveiled alongside the iPhone 6 and Apple Pay in September 2014. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook previously announced that Apple Watch will be released in April in the United States, although it’s not clear when the device will be released in the rest of the world. It’s possible that the event will see the company announcing official release dates for more markets this year.

In November, Apple released WatchKit, a set of developer tools to enable app makers to develop apps for the Watch. WatchKit apps will depend on iPhone counterparts – initially, Watch apps will be included inside the same bundle of iPhone apps – and Apple will likely use the event for formal app announcements from major partners as well as independent developers on March 9.