Changes the operation of the phone for ease of use when you’re at the wheel; minimizes the interaction and take advantage of voice commands
Google today released version 2 of Android Auto , its free app for devices running Android 5 or higher, that when activated, changes the operation of the phone to make it more friendly when its user is driving. Should be available in the store of Android in the course of the day.
The tool, which follows what they did on their own several companies (HTC and Motorola, among others) has a single objective: to provide and (on the whole) to limit the user’s interaction with the smartphone to allow you to concentrate on driving and not on manipulating a user interface designed for other situations.
And it is, also, a bet the company as an alternative to Android Auto that comes preloaded on the latest models of cars zero kilometer (in Argentina, the Chevrolet Cruze and the Volkswagen Gol); Apple offers something similar with CarPlay (which is also present in the two models mentioned).
which adds this application is that it allows you to access a similar way, but in any car, regardless of the model for the lead hooked to the dashboard of the car (or a motorcycle or a bike, eventually). It is worth recalling that the traffic law in argentina prohibits the use of any device that remove visibility and hide part of the windshield, but does not prevent their implementation if they are in another location.
How it works
The operation of Android Auto is simple: when you load the application changes the interface occupying the entire display, showing a few buttons and text with the font of large size, to minimize the attention required to manipulate the equipment and time that the user diverts the gaze of the way: everything is geared to a verbal interaction with the phone.
Android Auto has an initial view, where it shows some cards of data (weather, recent calls, etc.). And then offers three alternatives: the first is access to maps and guided navigation, very similar to how it works with the phone in its standard mode (you can choose a recent destination, ask the team to take us to this address), but with some additions, like a green sign that appears over the entire screen when we approach a corner in which we have to bend, or a highway exit.
The second is the phone: list of last dialled numbers and allows access to the keypad on the phone, see missed calls, voicemail, and so on. The third is the function of music, that list of the supported applications (the Android music player and what the user has installed that is compatible with this mode: a manager podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, audio books, etc.). Allows you to choose the music to play, change track, pause the audio, and others. All with large buttons.
Talk to the phone
There are two additional elements in Android Auto, which are key in the functioning of the application, although they are more discrete. One is the microphone button on the top right, ubiquitous in the application, and that allows you to activate the wizard Google Now to be able to give verbal orders, precisely to avoid having to manipulate the screen of the phone: call so-and-so, send a message with such text on such a person, and so on. Can be a SMS, a message from Whatsapp, Hangouts, Telegram, Skype, WeChat, e-mail and other; their availability depends on the developer of the application will support Android Auto. You can say send whatsapp to this contact with this text, for example, or go by steps (send whatsapp to that person, wait for Google to confirm the action, and then dictate the text). Appeals to the motor of understanding audio of Google and in general works very well and is very fast, although this will depend on the Internet connection available to the user while it is in the car.
If someone sends us a chat message appears as a notification (or a card in the initial view), and the user can do four things: hear the text converted to audio by Google (even read the emoji); send an automatic reply (the default is “I’m driving”, but you can change it); mute a conversation while using the application, or reply to the message with a text dictation. Reaches out with to touch the microphone button and say aloud “Reply” to the system to understand that it will dictate a response to the last message received. After you commit the text to send.
All actions which includes Google Now can do with this application, with the exception of activate by saying “Ok Google” in a loud voice; the company says that the support for this feature will be available soon. Of course, if the user is outside of that application the activation wizard for the voice is still available (and in the case of the Moto Lenovo/Motorola, to use a phrase custom).
it is Also possible to configure the application to turn on automatically when the phone connects to the Bluetooth of the car.
What this app does is magic. It works well in most of the cases, even though the arrival of quick multiple chat messages can desconcertarla (at least, in the beta version I tried). And succeeds in its purpose: to leave a minimum of on-screen functions, and allow control by voice. But it requires, even in its simplicity (and, above all, until that is available the automatic activation of Google Now with the phrase OK Google, that is to say, allowing you to interact with the computer without releasing the steering wheel to touch the phone) an occasional look at the phone screen, or just a couple of taps to interact with the content of the team; this involves deflecting the view of the street, so should be used with caution.
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