Volvo have revealed updates to their popular ''On-Call" app that will be available on technology’s latest craze – smart watches. The ‘smart watchapp’ will have a number of functions and will feature on some of the latest wearable technology systems including Apple’s I-Watch and the competing Android Wear.
If you aren’t one of the lucky ones to have some of this fresh tech, then fear not, it will also get a revamp for iPad and Windows Phone with voice activation also available on both of these.
Volvo are the second mainstream manufacturer to offer an app on this medium, with BMW already providing their own option. The “Volvo On Call” App will receive a complete update in order to allow drivers of Volvo vehicles such as the new-XC90 and stylish XC60, to take control of many of the vehicle’s “everyday” functions.
What does this exactly mean? Well, Volvo have said that one of the functions will be a GPS allowing for quick location of your car in a busy parking lot. Timings on the heater, checking mileage and fuel will all be part of the new-look app. It means you’ll be able to take a quick glance at your wrist while out shopping and know in an instant whether you need to stop off at a petrol station on the way home, or if you want it to be warm when you open the door. Remote locking will also be possible thanks to the updates. The changes to the app could mark a significant change in attidutes for many manufacturers looking to explore ways that new technology can make their vehicle that little bit more appealing.
Volvo On Call sound familiar? The app was actually the first of it’s kind; released as a remote safety feature with a “SIM-card” type system, it had the ability to provide security and tracking services in the event of a crash in 2001. It’s interesting to note that Volvo’s systems 14 years ago where not dissimilar to what many manufacturers offer now – an indication of how ahead of the game the Swedish manufacturer have been on this front. Today, 230,000 people use Volvo’s flagship application which is now heralded as one of the leading lights in the industry.
