Ford has added to the deluge of CES 2016 announcements by revealing a project to integrate its cars with Echo, Amazon’s smart home device.
The two companies have been working together to try to get cars with Ford’s Sync technology to work with smart home devices.
If successful, this could mean turning your car on or checking petrol levels from the comfort of your living room.
Using Amazon Echo, a hands-free speaker, and a voice command device Ford
owners could control functions of their car including starting or
stopping, locking or unlocking, checking fuel level/miles-to-empty, and
getting the location of their car including the street name and driving time/mileage
home.
Related: Amazon Echo review
Alexa, the name for Amazon’s virtual assistant, could also come in useful for controlling smart home devices from your car.
Because Echo connects with a variety of internet-connected smart home products, the new partnership could also mean controlling things like lights and garage doors from your car.
Imagine pulling up and telling Alexa to open the garage door or start playing some soothing music to accompany your arrival home.
Related: What is Nest Weave
Ford also said it is working on integration with other smart home platforms including Wink.
Compatibility with SYNC AppLink will allow Wink users to easily control and automate smart home devices on the dashboard of their car or through voice control.
Keep an eye on our CES 2016 hub for the best news from Las Vegas.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
