Ford teased about the possibility of integrating Amazon Echo features into some of the automaker's cars in 2015. With this integration, car owners can essentially control smart home devices like lights or browse their music libraries easily while driving.
Car owners can even ask Amazon's smart assistant Alexa to start their car for them. Recently, Ford officially announced that Amazon Echo integration would soon be rolled out to some of its cars.
Ford claims that it is the first car manufacturer to have real-world integration of Amazon's popular smart home device, according to The Verge. Ford is not the only car maker working to integrate Alexa and other Amazon services into their vehicles, but it would appear that Ford may have won the race.
Once the feature is officially rolled out, Ford car owners will have the ability to play audiobooks, order certain items on Amazon, as well as search and transfer local destinations directly into their in-car navigation system. If they are at home, Ford car owners will be able to remotely start, lock or unlock doors, and acquire vehicle information voice command through Alexa.
At the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show, Ford unveiled some of the company's new features, including an exclusive feature for those who own a new Samsung S3 smartwatch, or Samsung Gear S2. Through these smart wearable devices, Ford car owners can receive parking reminders and notifications to help them remain attentive while driving.
Ford is simply calling this new integration feature Sync. With Sync, supported vehicles can be essentially turned into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. Ford has partnered with AT&T to use the latter's vast 4G LTE network. Through this integration, Ford cars can support up to 10 connected devices. This new mobile hotspot feature will be integrated into some of Ford's 2018 model cars, according to Engadget.