Chalk this up because a good small building block for in-car safety: Three Acura plus Honda 2013 models may employ Apple’s Eyes Free technologies to matter Siri commands to a iPhone without fumbling to choose up the handset. Instead, we utilize the car’s press-to-talk switch found on the steering wheel. The connection is through Bluetooth as well as the control is of the iPhone, not the car’s center stack controls. This brings to about 10 the automakers that have announced Eyes Free connectivity.

Eyes Free is found on the 2013 Acura RDX compact SUV, the Acura ILX (Acura’s upscale adaptation of the Honda Civic), as well as the Honda Accord medium-large sedan which is regarded as the 10 Best Tech Cars. Honda claims it is a dealer-installed way “later this year” about active iPhones running iOS 6. It usually function about iPhone 4S plus iPhone 5, too iPad (3rd plus 4th generation) plus iPad mini because lengthy, because they have an web connection, meaning we were smart to have invested the additional $ 130 for the embedded 4G cellular modem. It can additionally be an iPod touch (5th gen) with an outside internet connection, probably a mobile hotspot.

Details stay a little sketchy, nevertheless here’s how Eyes Free might work: We update to iOS 6 then go to a dealer to have the auto software up-to-date plus possibly pay a fee. (Honda estimates a half-hour inside the store. That signifies $ 50-$ 75 at typical Acura-Honda store rates.) Connect the iOS device through Bluetooth to the auto. Press the push-to-talk switch found on the steering wheel. It will need to be a lengthy hit or 2 rapid taps when the auto reserves a single tap for the embedded voice reaction program.

As with any Siri conversation, it’s processed inside the cloud, not inside a Apple device. So the control might take a bit longer to be known than a voice input control issued to the vehicle plus translated in-car. The back plus forth amidst driver, auto plus Apple device is all verbal; no Apple screens are replicated found on the car’s LCD show.

What you are able to access is not completely obvious. Honda states it is “a quantity of particular tasks” such as creating telephone calls, creating plus sending texts plus e-mails, plus having incoming texts read for them. Apparently maps are out, or actions which call up a website. The Honda launch notes, “Siri takes hands-free functionality even further plus minimizes distractions more by keeping the iOS device’s screen from light up.” This added benefit courtesy of Apple plus automakers could signify there might be attributes we can’t access through Eyes Free plus no longer may access through the telephone whenever driving.

Honda’s US PR manager, Robyn Eagles, mentioned there is several apps which won’t be usable considering they’re visually oriented. If you desire employ them, you’ll need to disconnect the device within the car’s Bluetooth connection plus then your Apple show may function again. (But, oops, no more hands-free phoning, that is the main protection cause for Bluetooth inside vehicles.)

Apple’s stable of automakers finalized about to employ Eyes Free involves Acura, Audi, BMW, Chrysler, GM (beginning with Chevrolet Spark plus Sonic), Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, plus Toyota. In all instances, Eyes Free access to Siri signifies you’re controlling the iPhone or iPad. We aren’t controlling functions of the vehicle. Yet.

According to Car plus Driver, Siri was re-engineered to better handle sound inside the vehicle. Most vehicles utilize a single microphone inside the headliner inside a cost-benefit trade-off. Two mikes let for better sound elimination; Apple has apparently worked to better signal-to-noise inside software.

Now read: BMW gets Siri-like voice dictation