Ford Motors announced last year that they will be equipping their vehicles with Amazon's voice-enabled service, Alexa. With a recent announcement, made at the Consumer Electronics Show, Ford is ready to start rolling out Alexa Integration voice command service to their vehicles. Owners would soon be able to give voice commands remotely to their vehicles by using Alexa via Amazon's Echo, Echo Dot and Tap.
Ford Vehicles Would Need To Be Equipped With The Sync 3 Infotainment System To Connect To Alexa
Ford vehicles that are equipped with the Sync 3 infotainment system can now control their cars by giving simple commands such as turning the cars' engine on or off, lock and unlock doors, or check the fuel levels. The idea of remotely giving commands to vehicles may not be the first, but Ford is adding something that other manufacturers may have not thought of yet. Ford is giving the owners the ability, through Alexa, to also control their smart homes from their vehicle.
The Most Comprehensive System Ever Developed For An Automobile
According to the press release by Ford, the Alexa integration is the complete system ever developed for a vehicle. Owners can give commands to their smart home such as setting up their home theater system while still entering the garage or driveway. Owners can also ask Alexa to find destinations, play and read audiobooks, check the news and the weather and control smart home appliances, among others.
Ford With Sync 3 Would Now Have Its Own Personal Wi-Fi Hotspot
In addition, Sync 3 equipped Ford vehicles would also have a built-in Wi-Fi that can connect up to 10 devices at a time. The Internet connectivity would be provided by AT&T, it would also have LTE connectivity. Engineers are also developing a solution to connect android smartwatches like the Samsung Gear S2 and Gear S3 to the vehicle's Sync 3 system. The smart watches would be another easy way to receive alerts and parking services without having the need to always bring out and check on the owner's smartphone.
Alexa Integration Works Best For Online Amazon Shoppers And Plugin Vehicle Owners
Ford owners equipped with Alexa integration, who love online shopping, can also use the service to add items to their shopping cart. Amazon controls the technology and software for Alexa and they promise a convenient experience to its users. Hybrid and plug-in vehicles like the Ford Focus Electric, C-Max Energi Cars, and Fusion Energi can also be controlled using the service. Owners of these vehicles can soon give voice commands to start and stop charging of the batteries.
A demonstration at the Consumer Electronics Show of the Alexa integration was a huge success. The system was able to seamlessly follow commands without unnecessary delay. The technology could actually be years ahead of what Google Assistant has achieved ever since they started. The car to home command functionality truly takes voice command systems up a notch and could well be the leader of the pack in today's time and technology.
