Hyundai debuts Blue Link smartwatch app, voice control for your car
Hyundai Motor America is set to debut and demonstrate its Hyundai Blue Link smartwatch app at Pepcom’s Digital Experience and at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The app allows Hyundai drivers to start, stop, lock and unlock their cars using their smartwatch.
Blue Link first became available on the 2012 Sonata and expanded across Hyundai’s lineup through 2013. Up until now Hyundai owners could remotely stop, start, lock or unlock their cars via the Blue Link app on their smartphone.
With the global smartwatch sales set to explode, Hyundai is expanding into the wearables market and making it possible for drivers to interact with their vehicles via a smartwatch and simple touch or voice commands.
“Connecting to your car through a smart watch and voice recognition was previously something seen only in science fiction movies,” said Barry Ratzlaff, Hyundai Motor America’s executive director of customer connect and service business development. “Now, we can provide this capability to owners of Hyundai vehicles equipped with Blue Link.”
It’s not just owners of new Hyundai’s who will get to enjoy the new technology. The Blue Link smartwatch app will work with both next generation Hyundai models, such as the 2015 Genesis, Sonata and Azera, and first generation models fitted with Blue Link.
To interact with their car using their smartwatch a driver simply taps and icon or issues simple voice commands to initiate remote actions. Using the Blue Link smartwatch app a driver can remotely start their car, lock or unlock doors, flash the lights, honk the horn or even locate their car in a full parking lot. Voice functionality allows the driver to perform these functions by issuing simple commands like “Start my car,” “Lock my car” or “Find my car.”
The Blue Link smartwatch app must be paired with the owners smartphone that is already running the Blue Link app and can be used anywhere in the U.S. as long as the user’s smartphone is connected to the smartwatch via Bluetooth and has a cellular or Internet connection to connect the vehicle’s Blue Link enabled system.
The Blue Link smartwatch app can be seen in action on Samsung, Motorola, Sony and LG smartwatches at Pepcom’s Digital Experience on January 5 and at CES from January 6 to 9. For Android Wear users, the app is available for download at Google Play.
Images courtesy Hyundai
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