Chevrolet has announced that its Spark and Sonic models are now available with Siri ‘Eyes Free’ integration in the US. Customers with iPhones 4S and newer, running iOS 6, can connect their phones via Bluetooth to the MyLink infotainment system and tell Siri to perform tasks.
The ‘Eyes Free’ mode allows users to interact with their iPhones using just their voice. To enter this mode, the user pushes an activation button on the steering wheel and can then direct Siri to perform tasks as follows (Siri won’t provide answers to complex questions that require displaying a web page in this mode):
- Make voice-activated, hands-free calls to Contacts on the iPhone
- Play songs in the iTunes library, 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
Current 2013 Chevrolet Spark and Sonic owners in the States can upgrade existing MyLink systems for Siri capability beginning in March, says Chevrolet.
Still useless features
mylink is being criticised over in the us for being a pain,slow,unresponsive to use…like most infotainment systems
Chevrolet Sonic has been launched 3 months ago. I’ve never seen any on the roads. Whereas Kia Rio has been launched very few weeks back and I have already seen few on the roads.
Chevrolet is a big failure here in Malaysia and the dealer needs to do something to enhance their image.
Both are distributed by NAZA. Kia has a better market acceptance here than Chevrolet, especially design-wise.