Seattle startup Glympse just announced an interesting deal with Mercedes-Benz to incorporate its real-time location-sharing service into the dashboard of the car maker’s new A-Class vehicles.
Glympse, which normally offers its service through smartphones, describes the partnership as the first of its kind.
Under the arrangement, Mercedes will integrate Glympse into its in-dash DriveStyle software, letting drivers select someone to share location with, and set a timer on the location sharing. The system then automatically provides the car’s location to the recipient of the “Glympse” on an interactive map.
The time-limited nature of the sharing is a signature feature of Glympse, aimed at ensuring privacy. The classic example of Glympse usage is for sharing location when running late for an appointment, but the service also has a variety of other uses.
The A-Class is considered a mini-MPV, or multi-purpose vehicle — a “Baby Benz,” as some call it. The new models with Glympse integration are set to launch initially in Europe this fall, and they’re expected to come to the U.S. after that.
Glympse is announcing the partnership this morning at the Detroit Telematics Conference. The company, which recently moved from Redmond to Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, was founded in 2008 by former Microsofties Bryan Trussel and Steve Miller.
