Alexa listens to you in the car

Echo Auto review: Echo Auto is a small device that does everything that other Echo devices do, but ideally plays back via the music system in your car. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)

My eight year old son and I rarely agree on our choice of music. With the iPhone streaming music from one of the many music apps I pay for, he finds it convenient to just switch to whatever he wants to play often the same three songs. But then I summon Siri to replace Thunder or Old Town Road with coque huawei p10 mandala a blast from the past like John Lennon’s Imagine. But what if the car itself could take voice commands

This is exactly the thought Amazon has been working on with Echo Auto. While Amazon has tied up with coque huawei p8 l many car manufacturers to pre burn Alexa into their music systems, it has also launched a small Echo device that plugs into your music system giving it a smart layer. India is the second market where Echo Auto has been launched.

Echo Auto Price in India: Rs 4,999

What is Echo Auto

Well, Echo Auto is a small device that does everything that other Echo devices do, but ideally plays back via the music system in your car. That said, it does have a small speaker of its own, though that is not great if you want to enjoy your music. custodia iphone cover But Echo Auto is different from other devices from Amazon, for this is the first Echo that works yoked to a smartphone.

Set up is relatively easy, but it does take time. You have coque huawei p20 lite cuir to initiate the process on the device and then take the process further on the Alexa app. The system does good work of connecting seamlessly to the amazon coque huawei p20 pro Bluetooth audio system even aux if you don’t have Bluetooth and links back as soon as you are in the car.

The device itself is the size of a small candy bar and coque galaxy tab a 7 sticks magnetically coque samsung galaxy a3 2017 disney to a stand that you clip on to your AC vent. Yes, there is an additional wire to take care of and if you already have something that runs on the cigarette lighter dock, then you will have a bit of an issue.

Using Echo Auto is easy, especially if you are someone used to Alexa. cover iphone 7 I guess this device will first find favour with those who already ebay coque huawei nova give Alexa a lot of trouble at home and literally can’t live without coque huawei p8 lite 2017 kawaii it.

Echo Auto review: You can ask Alexa for directions and it works well once you give it access to your location. cover iphone (Image: Nandagopal amazon coque huawei y300 Rajan/Indian Express)

In the car, the use cases differ. You might not want it to solve a math problem like my son does all the time. Yes, the primary use case will continue to be music wherever you use the Alexa. coque huawei y6 2018 fille papillon In the car, I was quickly juggling songs in multiple languages and genres. And Alexa was pulling up songs from JioSaavn as well as Amazon Prime Music and I could not really make out when it was switching the services.

You can ask Alexa for directions and it works well once you give it access to your location. iphone xs max hoesje Since I was using this feature on the iPhone, after I selected my home and workplace, I could ask Alexa to direct me to the office. coque huawei p8 lite 2017 3d This starts with a time taken note and the default app on the phone pops up for you start the turn by turn navigation.

But since I am captive in the car for well over an hour each day, Alexa can go beyond music and even read my Kindle books or tap into news coque huawei p20 lite 3d bulletins. But there coque huawei p8 lite eau are no podcasts that are available on request at the moment. This is an added advantage and one way for Alexa itself to broaden its base in the Indian market.

The microphones on the Echo Auto are good and Alexa could hear me even coque huawei honor 9 usams mant series with the windows rolled down. This is quite something because on Delhi roads you can’t hear yourself with the windows down. But then it is better with the windows up krokmou coque huawei if you want to really enjoy the music or listen to an audio book.

Echo Auto review: For the coque galaxy grand2 first time Alexa is on a device which has a separate volume control. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)

However, not everything is that smooth. There were quite a few times when Alexa said it could not connect to the network and asked me to check on her later. Given the state of network in India, the experience will depend on where coque huawei y5 ii personnalisée you are, how crowded the area is and maybe even how the wind is blowing.

Also, I am not sure what the experience would be on the highways as we all know the phone dances between Edge and 4G when you are on the move. Since this Echo gets its connections from your phone, the experience will fnac coque huawei mate 20 lite depend to a large extent on how to good the network is.

Also, for the first time Alexa is on a device which has a separate volume control. I was befuddled by full volume on Alexa was not sounding really good. That when it struck me that the music system was at a lower volume. So you have to ensure the system itself is a coque galaxy j3 pas cher high volume before you start using voice to adjust the sound levels. However, the audio quality itself if as good coque huawei 6 pouces as your car audio system.

Also, as spotted by my son, the counter on the tracks is not dependable when you are streaming via Alexa. cover iphone 6 6s plus It seems to go all over the place up and down as the song is playing.

But there is no doubt about the hands free convenience Echo Auto brings to the car. Yes, I will end up using this more to pull the songs that I want to hear and you never know what you might want to hear while stuck on the road. Also, in the car, Alexa widens the repertoire of what in vehicle listening can be.