Talking to your oven, your air conditioning system, and your fridge is easy with Amazon’s A.I.-powered Alexa virtual assistant, so putting this technology in a car is a no-brainer. The list of new cars that come equipped with Amazon Alexa compatibility grows annually, and several aftermarket companies make devices that let you add this feature to your vehicle regardless of when it was built. Here are the best ones available in 2020.
Speak Music’s Muse was one of the first Alexa car accessories to hit the market, and it’s now in its second generation. All you do is connect the small device to your iPhone or Android-powered phone using Bluetooth. From there, you can use all of Alexa’s regular functions. You can also control your car’s audio functions, like skipping songs and boosting volume, by connecting to the car’s display through Bluetooth, USB, or auxiliary inputs.
The Roav Viva Pro gives you Alexa, remote calling, and a charging station for your phone, all in one. It also has a convenient mute button that turns off the device’s mic. To get started, you plug Viva Pro into your car’s cigarette lighter, then connect it to your phone using Bluetooth, Android Auto, Apple Carplay, AUX-Out, or FM transmission.
Amazon has come out with its own answer to Alexa auto accessories with the Echo Auto. The boxy device plugs into your car’s USB port or lighter, then you use the Alexa app to set it up. The device allows you to use all of Alexa’s regular functions, including hands-free calling, and it has a mute button for the mic. It has eight microphones to hear commands over road noise, so you won’t need to shout “play Blink 182!” four times before “Aliens Exist” comes on.
Garmin Speak stands out among other Alexa car devices for two reasons. First, it has a display that shows turn-by-turn navigation directions, which is super handy for the directionally stunted. Second, it mounts to your car’s windshield, so it doesn’t clutter up your air vents and it won’t leave glue marks on your dashboard. It connects to your phone through Bluetooth and its own app, and gives you access to all of Alexa’s features.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.