Bringing Amazon Alexa to vehicles is a new trend for automakers looking to add some tech to their vehicles. Unfortunately, it is a relatively new feature, which means that used-car owners are out of luck if they want to add the company’s voice-control system to their old car. These two solutions, though, allow everyone to add Alexa to their vehicle, and one of the options costs less than $50.
At CES, Anker recently debuted the Roav Viva that costs $49.99, while Speak Music introduced the Muse at $69.99. Both items, as Forbes points out, connect to your smartphone through Bluetooth and plug into your vehicle’s power port. For drivers with really old cars, the Muse is the way to go, as it comes with a 3.55 mm jack that plugs into the auxiliary port, whereas Anker’s Roav Viva requires a car to have a Bluetooth connection.
The cheaper Roav Viva comes with two USB charging ports for your devices and installing the gadget is relatively simple: plug it in, pair it with a smartphone, make sure your phone’s paired with the car’s Bluetooth, and you’re done. The outlet found that Anker’s unit picked up voices well, even those from passengers in the back of the car.
The Muse is just as easy to install, but it does have an extra component - an external button that also doubles as a microphone that needs to be placed on the dash. The unit comes with two USB chargers, but one of those is used for the external button, so only one is left for charging other devices.
The two also trade punches when it comes to what they’re compatible with. Both work with Amazon Music, TuneIn, Pandora, and iHeart Radio. Neither are compatible with Spotify, but that’s coming in the near future. Both will also work with other Alexa-enabled devices as well.
So, which one should you go with? Well, Forbes claims that the Anker is the one to have, as it can make calls via Alexa, allow users to utilize it to configure Google Maps, and it’s cheaper. It also happens to have an extra charging port and is easier to install. The only downside to the device is that your car needs to have Bluetooth.
Still, both options are great ways to add Alexa to your old vehicle. To check out the Roav Viva in action, check out the video below, and you can head over to Speak Music's Indiegogo page for more info on the Muse.
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