Does Echo Auto make Amazon's Alexa a reliable co-pilot?

Amazon's list of Echo equipment incorporating the Alexa assistant is expanding with a small box dedicated to the car that "20 Minutes" tested on the road to vacation ...

Amazon Echo Auto turns assistant Alexa into co-pilot for the summer - 20 Minutes

Amazon is launching Echo Auto, a small box to integrate into your car to stay connected to Alexa, the webmarket's assistant.
On the road to vacation, "20 Minutes" tested it for several hours on a Paris-Montélimar route.
Observation: sold for 60 euros, Echo Auto is still limited to basic functions and is not fully optimized for use at the wheel.

Sunday July 26, 2020. Alone to cut the road to my resort, I decide to carpool with Alexa, Amazon's zealous assistant who now integrates Echo Auto. The size of a small box of matches, this gadget sold for 60 euros fits in the passenger compartment. Supplied with a double USB socket to be connected to the cigarette lighter, it can be connected via Bluetooth to the car radio (or, failing this, via a min jack 3.5) and takes advantage of the smartphone's 3G / 4G network. Contact !

6:30 am: finally, the time of the big departure

I installed Echo Auto the night before. As with all products in the Echo range, like Echo Show or Echo Spot, the device is up and running in no time. I am unable to attach its support to one of my car's ventilation grilles. And for good reason: the user manual confirms to me with a simple diagram that my Duster is not compatible with the Echo Auto binding!

The installation of Amazon's Echo Auto requires a few connections ... - CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES

I resolve, after a little nervousness, to put Echo Auto in the small locker above my dashboard. For integration, it will be necessary to go back. I am starting.

6:40 am: I'm worried about my trip

«Alexa, which route to go to Montélimar? ". Alexa offers to guide me. Amazon had the good idea to partner with Waze for this type of service and the map is instantly displayed on the screen of my smartphone, which is on my dashboard. Cool.

7:00 a.m .: the Paris ring road is almost deserted

Nothing to do with what I imagined this Sunday of departures classified "red". Perhaps I will have arrived at my destination for lunch? I inquired about my travel time with my co-pilot: “Alexa… how long to get to Montélimar? ". My dozing assistant wakes up and cuts off the sound of my car radio. Answer: "In the current state of traffic, the time to reach Montélimar is 6 hours and 20 minutes". This estimated time obviously does not take into account any slowdowns that I may encounter, nor my breaks. But it is encouraging. I want to say “Thank you! ".

7.45 am: listening to the radio

On France Inter, Alain Baraton evokes in his column the comic strip L'Oasis by Simon Hureau. Or how the author brought a fallow garden back to life. The subject interests me and I call on Alexa: "Alexa ... how much does the book L'Oasis cost at Dargaud editions?" "Neither one nor two, Alexa tells me that the book is worth 19.99 euros. Perfect.

A request for information on a work and here it is placed directly in the user's basket - CAPTURE

And specifies to me: "I place it in your basket, which will allow you to consult it when desired". Gloups! The method is questionable, right?

9:00 am: a break is required

I ask Alexa what's the next gas station. My partner is content to list four potential places of stopping by indicating their name and their geographical location, but her indications do not go further. Pity.

9:20 am: I hit the road again after a double espresso

I ask Alexa to take control of my playlist and invite her: "Alexa, play songs from the 80s". My budding DJ responds positively. Police, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis… follow one another on the speakers. Well, precisely, I would listen to the double album Stevie Wonder's Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants . Having a good English accent, I nevertheless take care of my pronunciation and question Alexa who… only retains from my request “Stevie Wonder” and starts listening to the artist's titles. Master Blaster will obviously do the trick and I ask Alexa to turn up the volume. Of which act.

9:59 am: I sing Sir Duke at the top of my lungs

Soon the news on the radio. I do not turn down the volume and ask Alexa to read me the titles of the day by 20 Minutes. Once, twice. Nothing is happening. I speak louder. I exclaim. However, I had read in Echo Auto's press release that the equipment incorporated "eight microphones custom-designed to take into account the difficult acoustics of cars, thus allowing Alexa to hear requests despite the music, the sound. air conditioning and ambient road noise '(sic!).

Echo Studio sets up in just a few minutes. - AMZON

Alexa reacts in the end, but the observation is that my co-pilot can also be tough under certain circumstances.

10 a.m .: I forgot to say something to my daughter (who still has to sleep at her place)

I ask Alexa to remind me to call Manon at 1 p.m.

11:30 am: I approach the Villefranche toll

I ask Alexa the amount of the sum I will have to pay by helping her a little: “Alexa, what is the amount of the motorway toll between Fleury and Villefranche? ". My assistant blinks blue and… dries up, unable to offer me any response. Not even a word of apology. Pff ...

12h and some: traffic jam near Valence

I ask: "Alexa: how long in this traffic jam?" ". And here is the drama. Or rather the giggles: "I have a recipe for Reunion Island corks which requires 30 minutes of preparation and which is rated 4.1 out of 5", suggests Alexa. Of course, I would swallow a plate of small stuffed pasta, but the idea is first to get out of my deadlock on the highway.

12:20 p.m .: I'm getting impatient

“Alexa, how far is it to Montélimar? ". My great traveler replies: "The distance as the crow flies to Montélimar is 40 kilometers". As the crow flies ? I sniff the joke and reiterate my request, this time asking the distance between me and Marseille. Alexa persists in talking to me about birds.

12:25 p.m .: I'm bored

"Alexa, tell me a funny story". “What is green and moves underwater? ". I expect the worst. “Sea cabbage! ". How to say…

Echo Auto support is not suitable for all vehicles. - AMAZON

12:30 p.m .: time to reassure the family

"Alexa, call Blandine". My daughter picks up.

1 p.m .: Alexa comes out of her torpor

"Reminder: call Manon back", my assistant tells me. I validate: "Alexa, Stop".

1:30 p.m .: hunger tugs me

Anxious to support the economy, I am worried about finding a Courtepaille restaurant whose difficulties linked to the crisis are making the news. To my question "Alexa, find a Courtepaille restaurant", the answer to my answer is the list of four restaurants supposed to be nearby, including a Courtepaille. Itinerary? Distance? I will not know more.

2 p.m .: I'm approaching my goal

Is my favorite restaurant "Les Lavandes" still open? "Alexa, is the Les Lavandes restaurant located at xxx open?" ". Bingo! Alexa gives me the opening hours of my future summer canteen and tells me that due to the health crisis, they may be subject to change. I ask Alexa to call in order to reserve a table on the terrace. Nathalie, the boss, picks up. The holidays will be able to begin.

Echo Auto still needs to evolve to offer a truly relevant use to motorists. - AMAZON

On arrival, Amazon's Echo Auto still needs many developments to be a real product totally dedicated to the car. For now, its main advantage remains that it allows you to keep your hands on the wheel and perform basic voice commands. Secure. But as it stands, the device does not go much further than the Amazon Alexa application that anyone can integrate into their smartphone. Services dedicated to driving are still lacking. At 60 euros - the price of a full tank - Echo Auto remains too expensive for the moment.

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