Most in-car navigation systems nowadays support very basic
integration with smartphones to enable answering phone calls, listening to
music, or even reading your text messages. Unfortunately, this all relies on
the user interface that the car manufacturer decided to put in their cars and it’s
different per manufacturer. Another feature that such systems lack in is that
they are usually not internet-enabled and the navigation does not always
provide you the best route or even sometimes an updated map. Wouldn’t it be
nice if you could leverage the power of your phone and the cloud to provide you
with a familiar interface that you use on a daily basis and provide better
navigation with knowledge about traffic conditions and the latest maps at your
disposal? Well, it turns out that this is soon going to be a reality for Apple
iPhone users with Siri CarPlay and Google Android users with Android Auto.
Siri
CarPlay is just now coming to the market with new Pioneer car receiver firmware
updates enabling CarPlay when you connect a compatible iPhone. Upon connection,
the screen on the receiver changes to an iOS-like homescreen with the typical
Apple apps for Phone, Music, Maps, and Messages. Finally, you can enjoy everything
you love about your smartphone seamlessly integration with your car. Using
Siri, you can make phone calls, send messages, play music, and get directions
all with the sound of your voice. Google’s Android Auto, while still in
development, will support similar features using Google’s technologies. Now,
this all sounds good, but can this distract you from driving?
It
turns out that, according to a study done by AAA, the use of Apple’s Siri in
the car “generated a relatively high category 4 level of mental distraction.” Listening
to the radio was considered as a level 1 distraction, talking on a cell-phone
was a level 2 distraction, and using an error-free speech-to-text system for
listening to and composing messages was a level 3 distraction. They found out
that the “accuracy of the voice recognition software significantly influenced
the rate of distraction”. I would agree with their findings because I have
tried Siri on my iPhone a couple of times and it doesn’t always correctly understand
what I am saying. Apple will definitely need to work on improving Siri’s voice
recognition, especially when it is now advertising CarPlay as a new feature
which appears to be more distracting than existing systems.
As of
now, I am not sure that we are ready to embrace Apple’s Siri in the car because
of how much it distracts the driver behind the wheel. At least, studies like
AAA’s are being done and voice recognition system manufacturers are being
called to reduce their system’s mental distraction capacity. Regardless, cars
will soon integrate tightly with our smartphones and app developers will design
their apps for CarPlay and Android Auto to keep us connected to the online
world. The next question will be whether social media apps like Twitter and
Facebook will be designed for the car and how much of a distraction they will
create in the car.
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