Clients looking for the latest technology upgrades for their vehicles come to Auto Image in Brick and East Brunswick. One of the hottest technologies to hit the road in the past few years is smartphone integration. Source units that include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have revolutionized the way we communicate and the systems that entertain us while on the road. Let’s look at what these technologies offer and how they can make your time behind the wheel safer.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
We all know that talking on your cell phone while driving is extremely dangerous. Trying to read a text message and then sending a reply is even worse. Apple and Google realized this a few years ago and created interfaces that would allow us to communicate while reducing the risk of having an accident. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are software packages built into many of the multimedia receivers we sell. These interfaces use voice recognition and text-to-speech technology to allow you to communicate while keeping your eyes on the road.
Phone Calls and Text Messages
Both CarPlay and Android Auto will enable you to make a phone call by just saying, “call Dave at work,” after activating the voice recognition process. If you have a Dave in your contact list on your phone, the call will happen right away. If you only know the phone number, you can say, “call seven three two nine two zero zero six zero six,” and the system will dial that number. If you receive a text message, just ask the system to read you the last message. You can dictate a response, including punctuation to reply quickly and easily.
Turn-by-Turn Navigation
Both CarPlay and Android Auto include integration with your phone’s onboard mapping and navigation solutions. You can ask the system to plan a route to a business name or address, and it will look it up and plan a route for you. Mapping is always as up to date as possible thanks to Internet access on your phone. Both Apple Maps and Google Maps include traffic flow information, so getting where you need to will happen quickly and efficiently.
Infinite Entertainment Solutions
You can ask either system to play music stored on your phone by requesting an artist, album or song title. CarPlay and Android Auto support Apple Music and Google Play Music, respectively. Third-party application support includes streaming music services like Spotify, Pandora and iHeartRadio. You can even listen to a good story, streamed from Audiobooks.
Expand on Your Technology Upgrades
When we install a new CarPlay or Android Auto receiver, we have the option of installing a SiriusXM receiver for genre-specific entertainment from coast-to-coast. We can add a parking camera to the rear of your vehicle to help make maneuvering safer. If your vehicle has a built-in USB Port, satellite radio tuner or a factory backup camera, we can often integrate those with your new radio using an iDatalink Maestro RR interface. You can see and adjust parking sensors, tire pressure monitoring systems and more via the new touch screen.
Visit Auto Image for the Latest Technology
If you love your car or truck, but want to modernize its features and performance, visit Auto Image in Brick or East Brunswick, New Jersey. Bring along your iPhone or Android phone, and we can demonstrate how a few simple technology upgrades can make your time on the road more productive.
Send us an e-mail using our online contact FORM for more information.
