Siri Eyes Free

Nine 'Siri Eyes Free' stories April 2013 - December 2015

Ford retrospectively adds Siri Eyes Free to 5M older cars, still says CarPlay is on the way

Ben Lovejoy Dec 3 2015 - 3:55 am PT

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Ford may be taking its time to equip its vehicles with CarPlay, but the manufacturer has good news for owners of older Fords: it has today announced a software update to add Siri Eyes Free support to more than five million vehicles dating back to 2011. The update is for vehicles equipped with Ford’s own infotainment system, SYNC.

Ford today is releasing a new software update for more than 5 million SYNC-equipped vehicles dating back to the 2011 model year, adding more convenience for Apple iPhone users with Siri Eyes-Free capability.

Ford Electronics director Sherif Marakby said: “Siri Eyes-Free is another great voice-activated feature that not only adds convenience but helps our customers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.”

While Siri Eyes Free has been rather eclipsed by CarPlay, it’s still a useful halfway house …
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Apple defends safety of Siri use while driving after university study rated it highly distracting

Ben Lovejoy Nov 24 2014 - 4:46 am PT

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carplay

Apple has responded to a University of Utah study which criticized the safety of using Siri while driving, stating that it didn’t test the company’s in-car versions, Siri Eyes Free and CarPlay.

Of the six speech-recognition systems tested by researchers, Siri was found to be the worst for driver distraction. The study hooked up drivers to heart-rate monitors and other equipment designed to measure the degree of stress experienced by drivers while carrying out a range of voice-command tasks, giving each system a distraction rating from 1 (best) to 5 (worst) …
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Apple’s home automation system will be less of a hub, more of a ‘made for iPhone’ program

Mike Beasley May 29 2014 - 2:55 pm PT

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Acquiring the Nest Learning Thermostat was Google’s big step into home automation

As first reported on Monday, Apple is said to be preparing a home automation system for debut at WWDC next week. While this was the first anyone had heard of any such plans, several different sources have quickly come together to give an idea of how an “Apple Smart Home” will likely function.

On Monday, as noted above, the Financial Times first reported that Apple’s new program would not consist of a group of first-party automated appliances or other devices connected to an iPhone. Instead, the program will work similarly to Apple’s existing “Made for iPhone” program. Essentially the only role Apple will play is to grant special branding to compliant devices.

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See iOS in the Car in action on iOS Simulator ahead of release (Updated with new video)

Jordan Kahn Jan 28 2014 - 5:40 am PT

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5OZMu5u0yU]

Earlier this month we reported that a developer was seemingly able to get Apple’s upcoming iOS in the Car feature running through what we assumed was the iOS Simulator. Today, the same developer, Steven Troughton-Smith, has posted the video embedded above showing the feature actually up and running in a 800×480 Simulator window. Using the iPhone Simulator and iOS 7.0.3, the video shows the Maps app, a crude multitasking tray of sorts, and the ability to search by voice to navigate. No other apps are shown in the video, but it does appear that media controls of some kind are in the multitasking tray like in previous versions of iOS.

We noted before that the design had changed quite significantly since Apple first showed off the feature on stage at WWDC last year. The first set of screenshots posted showed a horizontal navigation bar, but the new video shows a design that’s much closer to what Apple showed on stage and what it is currently displaying on its website. Smith also made some notes of his own after playing with the simulator:
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Siri Eyes Free coming to six more 2014 Chevy models

Ben Lovejoy Oct 15 2013 - 7:02 am PT

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GM has announced that six more of its 2014 Chevrolet models will have Siri Eyes Free compatibility via its MyLink infotainment system. The company was the first company to offer Siri Eyes Free, initially on its Sonic and Spark models.

Camaro
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With Siri Eyes Free, drivers can make calls, hear & dictate text messages, check & add calendar appointments and of course play music, all via voice. A button on the steering wheel is used to activate the service.

“The response to Siri Eyes Free integration in Chevy Sonic and Spark from our customers has been remarkable,” said Chris Perry, Chevrolet vice president of U.S. Marketing. “Easy, reliable and portable connectivity is a top priority for our customers, and Siri complements MyLink’s existing capabilities to help deliver an incredible driving experience, so we’re excited to expand this to even more customers.”

In Eyes Free mode, the iPhone’s screen remains off during usage to minimise distractions.

There’s an app for that: in next year’s e-scooters, your iPhone will be the console

Ben Lovejoy Jul 12 2013 - 7:51 am PT

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iPhone integration in car consoles is of course nothing new, with Siri Eyes Free becoming an increasingly standard feature in new cars. But next year’s electric scooters appear to be taking the idea one step further: if you go to the showrooms to look at an electric scooter next year, you may well find that your iPhone doesn’t just connect to the console, it is the console …
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Siri Eyes Free comes to entry-level cars in Europe: the Opel Adam

Ben Lovejoy Jun 25 2013 - 5:41 am PT

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http://youtu.be/W-WmjpVifkE

If we needed any evidence that Siri Eyes Free is likely to become either standard fitment or a low-cost option in a lot of new cars within a year or so, Opel has announced that it is now available as a €300 ($394) option on the Opel Adam, an entry-level car whose pricing starts at just €11,500 ($15,100).

Opels are made by General Motors, and many are rebranded Chevys, so there is likely crossover here with the Chevy Spark which saw Siri Eyes Free added to the Sonic and Spark this year …
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BMW expands iDrive features with Siri, Bluetooth access to iPhone music & more

Ben Lovejoy Jun 7 2013 - 6:49 am PT

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BMW, one of Apple’s Siri Eyes-Free partners, has announced that Siri support is finally coming to the iDrive console on its 2014 model cars, along with a range of other enhancements. The car-maker is also adding support for Samsung’s Siri equivalent, S Voice.

You’ll also be able to access music on your iPhone through the iDrive system via Bluetooth, rather than the wired connection required with earlier versions, and access the web while the vehicle is stationary …
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VW launches iBeetle in Apple tribute [gallery]

Ben Lovejoy Apr 22 2013 - 6:47 am PT

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Steve Jobs sadly passed before he could design his iCar, so the closest we’ve got so far is Siri Eyes Free on a bunch of cars and now the new VW ‘iBeetle’. The VW-designed tribute to all things ‘i’ is laid out in the gallery above and two more shots below…

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