Introducing Echo Auto - The first Echo for your car

[pete_c]

Going to give this a try.  Curious about any other Cocoontech forum users giving it a try.
 
Pre-order available only by invitation
Ships from and sold by Amazon Digital Services LLC.
 

• Connects to Alexa using your phone, is ready in seconds, and plays through your car speakers.
• Includes Echo Auto Dash Mount.
• With eight microphones designed for in-car acoustics, Echo Auto can hear you over music, A/C, and road noise.
• Use your voice to play music, check the news, open the garage door, find the nearest gas station, and more.
• Play Audible books, stream podcasts, or listen to Amazon Music, Spotify, Sirius XM, or NPR.
• Make calls, set reminders, add items to your shopping and to-do lists, or manage your calendar.
• With over 50,000 skills and counting,
• Alexa is always getting smarter.
• Skills are like apps and let you do more with Alexa.
• Set location-based routines—automated actions Alexa can start when you leave the office or get home.
• Ask for directions and Alexa connects to supported apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze on your phone.  

 
   

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I would like to get this also as it's a great idea. Siri voice recognition thru my Bluetooth car interface just flat doesn't work.

How did you get on the invite list? (Never mind, just go to Amazon's site and click "request on invitation"! )

 

[wkearney99]

Basically seems they took a Dot and put GPS in it, and added some routines that would use changing location info.
 
I used a Dot in one of my vehicles and it was so-so.  The hassle is most radios don't have the sort of seamless support necessary to allow making full use of things like steering wheel controls.  Or overlapping use of phone call audio, at least not without being clunky to the point of being distracting.

 

[pete_c]

Read some place that the Volkswagan Touareg Cayenne picked up the Amazon SDK for Alexa and testing it on their automobile OS and HU? 
 
What CPU / OS is the automobile using?
 
Here shut off TTS/VR within 30 days of first time on two vehicles.  Still off today.  It was irritating and too chatty kathy for me.


Gonna see how the Alexa works.

Yesterday tested the Alexa to Ooma stuff. "Alexa tell Ooma to call wife or play new messages". Works Noticed a disconnect with the ap after an hour or so such that I had to disable and re-enable the application to get it going again.

 

[wkearney99]

Harman makes the radios for most VAG vehicles (Porsche, VW, Audi, Skoda, Bentley, etc).   It'd be perfect to have it in my Cayenne, as there's a button on the turn signal stalk designed to activate voice recog.  Harman's voice recog and subsequent nav options are, well, lackluster.

 

[pete_c]

Got an email per invite to order the Echo Auto today.  I ordered it for delivery tomorrow July 2, 2019.
 
Very reasonably priced.

 

[LarrylLix]

Got an email per invite to order the Echo Auto today.  I ordered it for delivery tomorrow July 2, 2019.
 
Very reasonably priced.

Be very interesting to see how it performs. Any voice device I have used, 6 echo Dots, 1 Echo, 4 GH minis, 1 GH, 1 ecobee4, goes almost deaf and confused when you put it in a corner. Close to an A/V receiver with low volumes = deaf. Voice recognition in my Honda CR-V deaf but when it hears you calling, shuts off the radio and all blower fans.
 
Strangely enough, my ecobee4 cannot understand anything, if you stand in front of it, but works not too badly from across the room. I find most of echo Dots respond from behind you, but the ones you are talking directly to give up the arbitration.

 

[pete_c]

Not sure yet where it will go in the automobile.  I cannot put it on a vent mount as my cell phone is there.

 

[LarrylLix]

Not sure yet where it will go in the automobile.  I cannot put it on a vent mount as my cell phone is there.

Not likely to hear anything with a vent hiss in the back of it and blocking the vent may be an HVAC problem somewhat. Vehicles have HVAC venting problems. We have had too many tendonitis attacks in our shoulders and cramped neck muscles in the summer.

 

[pete_c]

Might put it in the center console cup holder...

 

[LarrylLix]

Might put it in the center console cup holder...

I sthat what they call those CD player drawers now? LOL

 

[pete_c]

Don't know why I got this as I have always shut off the VR / TTS on the cars as it was too annoying for me.

It is tiny and will fit anywhere. The little speaker sound is good and using the aux audio jack it will be better.
 
Today only listen to my music collection (no satellite radio listening, no radio news, nothing...nada...).
 
I do not even use the phone these days or even answer it...

 

[wkearney99]

Don't know why I got this as I have always shut off the VR / TTS on the cars as it was too annoying for me.

Today only listen to my music collection (no satellite radio listening, no radio news, nothing...nada...).

 
Auto voice recog has always been awful.  Not enough CPU in the radio, not enough decent programming to make it work in any sort of 'natural language' sort of fashion, etc.  

With the cloud processing the audio there's a greater range of recognition possible.  Both of the audio itself and turning that into more versatile commands. But then you're chained to an active uplink for any processing.   

But the way most radios implement bluetooth, ugh, I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope for the Echo Auto to be able to avoid failing to meet user's unrealistic expectations. 

I'm still waiting for my invite.  I'll give it a try but don't have wild expectations for it.

 

[pete_c]

Here have always had a car pc in all of the vehicles...easy to do...
 
1 - carpc connects to bus of automobile and ODB2 and connects to video device that shows up on the HU display as an autonomous device.
 
I can remote control the vehicles but cannot drive them with the computer.  Can start the car, open windows, turn on lamps, ac et al...
 
2 - automobile already has a 3G module which is always live.  IE: automobiles use cell phone via blue tooth and second cellular connection alway on.car
 
3 - echo device can connect to cell phone or car pc...
 
I have too modified the firmware on the built in car GPS major like...it is not stock anymore...it was a PITA to do....

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Glad you got your invitation to get one of these units.  I haven't received one