Pioneer bringing Siri-like control to the car

 

The problem with most voice-recognition systems in modern cars is the stilted, unnatural commands required to execute even the simplest functions. Cadillac is supposedly working on bringing more natural voice commands to market with CUE, but Pioneer and its new Zypr voice-to-cloud platform aims to take it a step further.

Utilizing a tethered smartphone or embedded modem, the new system listens and acts on commands based on conversational direction. Say, "Play some music" and Zypr responses with "Which artist?" or "Which source?" Tell the system "I'm in the mood for Thai" and it will list off the nearest restaurants, provide Yelp ratings and allow you to get directions and email the address to your friends. Facebook and Google integration is also part of the package, and since it's all handled in the cloud, the expansion of sources and options is infinite. And Zypr won't just be limited to cars.

Pioneer wants the technology to find its way into every consumer electronics device on the market (for obvious licensing reasons), and with Apple's Siri functionality on the iPhone 4S putting a new emphasis on natural speech recognition, consumers will be demanding similar tech in almost everything they own within the next few years.

 

Want USB control of your in-car music? Don't buy a Galaxy Nexus

Android owners with a USB-equipped vehicle might not get all the connected benefits of their iPhone-touting friends, but at least they could plug in to access their tunes. Now it seems that Google's latest flagship won't even do that.

Speaking with the throngs on Reddit, Android engineer Dan Morrill confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus can't support USB mass storage. Unlike other Android devices equipped with an SD card, your vehicle's infotainment system would mount your smartphone and recognize it as a drive. That's not the case with the Galaxy Nexus due to a new partition setup.

Thankfully, other devices upgraded to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) won't be affected by the issue, so Nexus S owners can sleep soundly. Of course, Bluetooth playback will still be supported, so that long drive to Grandma's house on Turkey Day won't be a tunes-free affair.

Interestingly, one automaker should be immune from the issue: Ford. The automaker's SYNC 1.0 and 2.0 infotainment systems supports MTP (Media Transfer Protocol), which the Galaxy Nexus uses to transfer files with Windows machines. And as you'll recall, Microsoft co-developed SYNC with Ford. However, representatives from Ford haven't been able to confirm if the new Nexus works with their system, and we've yet to receive word from other automakers about the issue.

 

Pioneer bringing Siri-like control to the car

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The problem with most voice-recognition systems in modern cars is the stilted, unnatural commands required to execute even the simplest functions. Cadillac is supposedly working on bringing more natural voice commands to market with CUE, but Pioneer and its new Zypr voice-to-cloud platform aims to take it a step further.

Utilizing a tethered smartphone or embedded modem, the new system listens and acts on commands based on conversational direction. Say, "Play some music" and Zypr responses with "Which artist?" or "Which source?" Tell the system "I'm in the mood for Thai" and it will list off the nearest restaurants, provide Yelp ratings and allow you to get directions and email the address to your friends. Facebook and Google integration is also part of the package, and since it's all handled in the cloud, the expansion of sources and options is infinite. And Zypr won't just be limited to cars.

Pioneer wants the technology to find its way into every consumer electronics device on the market (for obvious licensing reasons), and with Apple's Siri functionality on the iPhone 4S putting a new emphasis on natural speech recognition, consumers will be demanding similar tech in almost everything they own within the next few years.

View the original article here

Want USB control of your in-car music? Don't buy a Galaxy Nexus

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Android owners with a USB-equipped vehicle might not get all the connected benefits of their iPhone-touting friends, but at least they could plug in to access their tunes. Now it seems that Google's latest flagship won't even do that.

Speaking with the throngs on Reddit, Android engineer Dan Morrill confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus can't support USB mass storage. Unlike other Android devices equipped with an SD card, your vehicle's infotainment system would mount your smartphone and recognize it as a drive. That's not the case with the Galaxy Nexus due to a new partition setup.

Thankfully, other devices upgraded to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) won't be affected by the issue, so Nexus S owners can sleep soundly. Of course, Bluetooth playback will still be supported, so that long drive to Grandma's house on Turkey Day won't be a tunes-free affair.

Interestingly, one automaker should be immune from the issue: Ford. The automaker's SYNC 1.0 and 2.0 infotainment systems supports MTP (Media Transfer Protocol), which the Galaxy Nexus uses to transfer files with Windows machines. And as you'll recall, Microsoft co-developed SYNC with Ford. However, representatives from Ford haven't been able to confirm if the new Nexus works with their system, and we've yet to receive word from other automakers about the issue.

View the original article here