Talking to your car can be like trying to reason with a recalcitrant toddler. It often petulantly refuses to obey your commands or, worse, does the opposite of what you want. But in-vehicle voice recognition systems are gradually improving, as demonstrated by the new version of Chevrolet’s MyLink system.
Connected services are expected to continue to be a major selling point, and Chevrolet went to great pains to emphasize the system’s debut on the all-new, front-wheel-drive only 2014 Impala. Standard on the LT and LTZ trim packages, the revamped next generation MyLink was one of the highlights described by Phil Carlisle, product manager for the Impala, at a press briefing in New York last week.
The new system features an 8-inch touch screen that slides up out of the dash to reveal, James Bond-style, a hidden compartment behind the screen where drivers can stash a smartphone. (It can be locked down with a numeric code to put it in valet mode, preventing other drivers from accessing personal information, like your home address on the navigation system.) The touch screen is pressure sensitive, so owners can still operate its built-in navigation (now boasting 3-D graphics), phone, and radio functions while wearing gloves. Alternately, all the controls are duplicated via a traditional set of dials and buttons, as well as steering-wheel mounted controls.
MyLink also supports smartphone-based apps, but only two are included: live weather reports and streaming music from Pandora. While General Motors spokespeople would not reveal what apps might come next, G.M. is heavily promoting development software to outside companies so that new programs can be added.
The highlight of the MyLink system, however, is likely to be its voice recognition system. G.M. has added more sophisticated natural-language speech recognition. It does not rely on a fixed set of commands but instead can interpret full sentences and common phrases. It means owners should not have to read the owner’s manual and memorize commands just to tell MyLink what to do.
Indeed, during an hourlong test drive, the Impala seemed comfortable with my spoken requests. “Play the radio,” elicited a response asking me to specify AM or FM or to simply choose a station. “Play 104.3 please,” I politely requested, and the system confirmed my instructions and Cream’s “Born Under a Bad Sign” came from the Bose stereo system’s speakers.
Delivering navigation instructions proved to be just as easy. Asking the car to change the destination resulted in the system asking me if I wanted to use an address or look for a nearby point of interest. I purposely chose a street name that often flummoxes New York City cabdrivers (77th Street), but MyLink wasn’t stumped – although I failed to mention the city, causing the system’s feminine voice to suggest a Long Island location. Even when it misunderstood, the system suggested backing up and asked me to start with the city name.
To achieve this level of natural vocal agility, G.M. tweaked voice recognition software from Nuance, said Ara Eckel, a connected car specialist at G.M. Furthermore, the recognition software is built into the dash, rather than relying on remote, Internet-based servers like Apple’s Siri, so MyLink’s responses are quick and seamless.
The overall MyLink system is based on the software used in the Cadillac Cue system. As such, this represents G.M.’s effort to standardize on a single in-dash platform that could give owners a consistent look and feel across the company’s various model lines. It means volume controls and on-screen buttons will appear in the same position eventually on all the company’s vehicles, even if the colors and other design elements vary from Cadillac to Chevy to Buick.
Cruising back to the city with the sun in our eyes, the Impala began to warm up. Pressing the voice button, I demanded, “Change temperature!” But the computerized female voice responded that it didn’t understand my request. It turns out heating and air-conditioning can’t yet be controlled by voice. Thankfully, the buttons for that are still there.
