Alexa, the smart voice assistant on Amazon Echo devices is now foraying wide and far into the outside world. Ever since Amazon opened up its APIs for Alexa Skill Sets, several large consumer companies have integrated Alexa into their own products.
The latest of these is Ford, which announced at a press dinner during CES 2017 that Alexa would now be available for Ford owners with SYNC 3.
Ford’s SYNC 3 AppLink is a connectivity application that can hook your smartphone and its apps directly into your smart car’s ecosystem of displays and control systems.
Using this system, Ford owners will be able to do all the usual stuff you do with a voice assistant, plus it will be able to connect with Alexa-enabled smart home devices as well. This is what we envisioned for the future – your car letting your home know that you’re on the way so your home can be “prepped” for a warm arrival…lights on, heating on, beer chilled and waiting…you get the idea.
Ford plans to roll this out very soon, with owners of Ford Focus Electric, Fusion Energi, and the C-MAX Energi being able to control their cars from their home using Alexa on Amazon Echo devices, with commands like “Alexa, ask my FordMobile to start my car.”
Later in the year the SYNC 3 enabled cars will make their way into the market as well. Eventually, anyone with an Amazon Echo at home and SYNC 3 compatibility in their Ford automobile will be able to communicate with Alexa in-car as well as at home.
Ford actually tested this out last year but is now moving quickly to implement it in as many vehicle models as possible.
Don Butler, Ford’s executive director of connected vehicle and services, told Business Insider:
“We’re looking for what is going to deliver the best experience inside the vehicle, and we are looking to embrace technology. We are not running away from technology, we are not afraid of it. We want to deliver what is best for customers.”
We are only in the early stages of IoT implementation on a grand scale, but the evidences of that growth are already undeniable.
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