Aha Mobile reads driver's traffic info, Facebook status
Start-up company seeks to bring search features to drivers on its iPhone and Android apps.
What frequent drivers need is a way to search for information while cruising without taking your eyes off the road. That's what Robert Acker, president and CEO of Aha Mobile, thought when creating his yet-to-be-released application for iPhone and Android.
Before they put foot to pedal, drivers will set up a dashboard of buttons, each representing an audio channel for everything from the traffic report for the road you're on, to a search for nearby bathrooms and cafes, music channel, and your Facebook news feed. As we saw in Acker's demo at the Under The Radar start-up event in Mountain View, CA, pressing a button triggers a robotic voice that reads out the information you've selected.
The demo wasn't long enough to gauge the app's efficacy, but it's clear that application-makers like Aha Mobile are looking for ways to bring search capabilities found in a navigator to those without.
Aha Mobile will partner with providers like Yelp to match its content to your location. Expect to see an iPhone app in the next month or two, followed by one for Android. Aha Mobile is also working with carmakers to explore a radio implementation or other in-dash solution.