Can you imagine yourself controlling your luxurious BMW with your voice? It will soon be possible. BMW (NASDAQ: BAMXF) is enhancing its Connected App with the inclusion of Amazon Echo. With the new partnership with Amazon Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), owners will gain access to a car with a simple voice command.
Connected App is available in all 2016’s BMW models and will be a constant feature in all future models.
BMW Connected Classic app can be found on the Apple Store, with the Amazon update set to arrive in late 2016. It was first launched in March only for US smartphones. The app allows the driving machines will hear and follow simple orders of journey management and route planning thanks to Amazon Echo.
The app will also scan the user’s calendar and address book on their personal devices and calculate drive time to an appointment based on real-time traffic data.
BMW’s partnership with Amazon Echo is set to impress
Some of this features are also available through Google platform. Nevertheless, the thing most noticeable in BMW’s intake on smart driving is the Open Mobility Cloud.
First and foremost, the cloud allows storing favorite destinations, such as restaurants and cinemas, to select as destinations with a single tap. But the app will also connect itself with every bit of information the users has on their smart devices.
It gives the agenda of the day, arranges the schedule, sets up appointments and manages to park and get out of the parking spot automatically. It also connects with an Apple Smart Watch to check the surroundings of the car at any moment.
With the inclusion of Amazon’s Personal Assistant Alexa into the app, owners can issue simple commands through Amazon Echo, like asking the car to open or shut certain doors, all the while the AI keeps vigilant of the car’s health and fuel levels. Customers would also access all of the features of the Connected App with their voices.
One thing that will still lack in the new update is the ability to remote star the vehicle from the smartphone or, better yet, voice commands.
Alexa is the go-to assistant for your car
The Echo, to be more accurate, will be a black voice-enabled Bluetooth speaker connected in the BMW; acting as an intelligent assistant when addressing “Alexa.”
Developers may create future apps to give the device new functions. Echo can also connect with other smart home products with voice commands,
BMW is not the first automaker to bring Alexa to the table. In January, Ford (NASDAQ: FORD) announced plans to partner with Amazon and forecast future link between Sync 3-equipped vehicles and Amazon Echo’s voice commands.
There has also been some flirting between Amazon Echo and Tesla’s Summon feature to make the door park and exit the garage by itself or using Alexa to remote-start General Motors Vehicles.
Source: Business Insider