As promised late last year, Chevrolet is the first company to deliver Siri 'Eyes Free' to consumers. 2013 Chevy Spark and Sonic cars allow owners to perform a number of tasks via Siri using the car's built-in entertainment system.
In the 2013 Spark and Sonic vehicles equipped with MyLink, owners can use Siri in Eyes Free mode to:
- Make voice-activated, hands-free calls to Contacts on their iPhone
- Play songs in their iTunes libraries, and even switch music sources automatically from AM/FM/XM radio to iPod mode
- Listen to, and compose and send an iMessage or text message to a phone number or anyone in saved Contacts
- Access Calendar and add appointments
- Minimize distraction even more by keeping the screen of the iPhone from lighting up even when Siri answers simple questions such as game scores or the dates of national holidays
Chevrolet doesn't specify exactly when new Sonic and Spark cars will get 'Eyes Free' support, but the company says existing 2013 owners will be able to upgrade their MyLink radios with Siri capability beginning in March.
Honda has promised that the Accord and the Acura RDX and ILX cars will get 'Eyes Free' later in 2013, with some current 2013 Accord owners getting to beta test the service ahead of a wider rollout.
