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Honda introduces 2014 Civic with iPhone-compatible touchscreen in the dash
Earlier today, Honda held a Google Hangout to announce a new "Display Audio" interface that features a 7-inch high-resolution touchscreen in the dash of the new 2014 Honda Civic and 2015 Honda Fit that can connect to an iPhone and access online content. The 7-inch touchscreen in the vehicles' dash will allow drivers and passengers to touch, swipe and pinch their way through maps, contacts and media. To go along with the Display Audio interface, Honda is announcing four new iOS apps that allow iPhone owners to interact with the new system and provide additional functionality. HondaLink Connect (free). With the HondaLink Connect App, you can search for point-of-interest locations; save favorite destinations; view weather forecasts; stay in touch with key maintenance information about your vehicle, including notifications on your next required service; easily set up service appointments with a quick dial to your servicing dealer; receive useful Feature Guide and Quick Tip messages about your car; contact roadside assistance agents when needed; and more. HondaLink Navigation (US$59.99). Download the HondaLink Navigation App onto your phone and stream an entire navigation system into your Honda dashboard display. Receive all the convenience of in-vehicle maps and routing, including continuously updated traffic information for freeways, highways and major surface streets. Search for points of interest or specific addresses, and easily route to your selected destination. Use the steering wheel controls to interact with the HondaLink Navigation app while driving. Includes free annual map updates. HondaLink Aha (free). The HondaLink Aha app provides convenient access to cloud-based services right through the vehicle dashboard, allowing you to leave your phone tucked away while driving. With this app, HondaLink and Aha help turn your favorite internet content into personalized, on-demand radio stations. HondaLink App Launcher – (free). The HondaLink App Launcher is your guide to easily find apps that are compatible with the HondaLink Next Generation platform. Use it to find other HondaLink Next Generation apps such as HondaLink Connect, HondaLink Aha and HondaLink Navigation. The App Launcher brings these apps into your vehicle dashboard, transforming your in-vehicle experience. The 2014 Honda Civic and 2015 Honda Fit are also the first Hondas with Siri Eyes Free built-in.
Daily Update for November 27, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Daily Update for October 15, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
2014 Spark EV test drive: affordable green fun (video)
We've driven a number of EV's over the years -- from the Ford Focus Electric to the Tesla Model S -- but none have been as affordable as the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV. It costs $19,995, including the $7,500 federal tax credit, and just $17,495 in California, thanks to an additional $2,500 credit. The Spark EV is GM's first pure electric car since the company scrapped the EV1 program in 2002. It's a five-door supermini designed to carry four people plus luggage in comfort. While it's primarily a city car, it's perfectly at ease on the highway. We recently got the chance to take one for a spin in lovely Portland, Oregon, so hit the break for our impressions and hands-on video. %Gallery-194735%
Chevrolet Sonic TV ad features Siri eyes-free integration
Ad agency McCann Erickson has created a 30-second TV spot featuring Apple's Siri eyes-free and hands-free integration in the new Chevrolet Sonic. The spot features an actress -- inexplicably driving in circles inside a building -- using "the button to end all buttons" to ask Siri to read an incoming message and tell a bad joke. The soundtrack is reminiscent of the simple piano music and voices used in a number of Apple ads in the recent past, so it's obvious that McCann Erickson and client Chevrolet wanted to link Siri and Sonic in the minds of viewers. Honda is expected to add Siri Eyes Free mode as an option on this year's Accord, as well as to the RDX and ILX models under the Acura brand. Chrysler, Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Audi were all touted by Apple as being partners in the Siri Eyes Free program at its introduction with iOS 6 last year.
2013 Honda Accord, Acura RDX and ILX getting Siri Eyes Free option
More automobile manufacturers are hopping on the Siri Eyes Free bandwagon -- or should that be car carrier? Although announced as a partner in the endeavor last summer, Honda has finally confirmed which models will be the first to utilize the feature: the 2013 Honda Accord, Acura RDX and Acura ILX. All three of these models will interface with Siri-capable iOS devices running iOS 6 or higher via Bluetooth. Using a dedicated hands-free button in the steering wheel, drivers will be able to make use of Apple's virtual assistant for a number of tasks without their phone's screen turning on. The Siri Eyes Free feature will be available as an option that can be installed by dealers, and integrates with the HondaLink and AcuraLink entertainment systems featured in these models. Pricing for the option hasn't been announced.
Chevy launches iPhone Siri support for Spark, Sonic vehicles, aims to keep your Eyes Free
If you're looking at getting a 2013 Chevrolet Spark or Sonic LTZ / RS, you'll be able to drag Siri along for the ride, provided that you have an iPhone 4S or later running iOS 6, according to GM. It'll pair with Chevy's MyLink entertainment system using Bluetooth, ensuring you avoid distractions via Apple's new Eyes Free mode that lets you disable the smartphone's screen via a steering wheel button. Using voice-activated commands, you'll be able to prompt the system to make hands-free calls, play songs from your iTunes library, listen to and compose text messages and access calendar appointments. If you ask a question that requires a web page to be displayed, however, Siri will decline to answer -- ensuring your eyes stay where they should. The automaker also announced an upcoming version of MyLink for the Chevrolet Impala that will let buyers "skin" the instrument panel with four different themes: Edge and Velocity for the younger set, and Contemporary or Main Street aimed at "busy moms" or business types. It'll also have an optional 8-inch touchscreen and let you link up to ten devices via Blutetooth or USB. Check the sources for info on all the new vehicles or the video after the break.
