Honda is jumping into the in-dash app race with the introduction of an updated HondaLink system for 2013 Accord by partnering with Harman’s Aha Radio.
With HondaLink, NPR programming is on demand and drivers can skip backward to past programs on the fly. In this way, HondaLink is perfect for podcast junkies, since they don’t have to update their device to get fresh programs. According to Charles Koch, Honda’s manager of new business development, Aha can offer “thousands of podcasts because they’re cloud-based on the Aha server,” as well as audio books through Librovox. “It’s a free service for now.”
Drivers can access Yelp by hitting a “Hungry” tab to find local restaurants, and the system converts Facebook and Twitter feeds using text-to-speech so that drivers can listen to them. The new Accord will include Pandora as an embedded application, a feature that launched earlier on the 2013 CR-V along with SMS text messaging. HondaLink debuted on the 2013 Accord when the ninth-generation became available in September, and it will eventually be rolled out to Honda’s entire U.S. line, says Koch.
HondaLink is standard on Accord EX-L and above sedans and EX and above coupes. It will likely be implemented into many more Hondas as new models are released. It works through a proprietary HondaLink app that Aha developed for iOS and Android devices, which connect to the car via Bluetooth or USB. Drivers control Aha Radio content through the new Accord’s 8-inch center-mounted touchscreen and a smaller 6-inch touchscreen lower in the dash that work in tandem. The smaller screen also allows access to Aha Radio when the larger screen is being used, say, for navigation. Some features can also be accessed via steering-wheel and voice controls. Excerpts from wired.com
http://bianchihonda.com/blog/237/Lou/post/1535/An-Aha-moment
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