INRIX OpenCar to Integrate Amazon Alexa Voice Service
INRIX, a provider of connected car services and transportation analytics, has integrated Amazon Alexa, the cloud-based voice service, into its OpenCar platform for connected vehicles.
Later this year, drivers with OpenCar-enabled vehicles will be able to access a host of services, including Amazon Music, Audible audiobooks, and INRIX Driver Services such as traffic, parking, incidents, and road and weather conditions, from within their vehicles via Alexa.
An open, white-label in-vehicle application platform, INRIX OpenCar enables cross-brand development for third-party content providers and brand-, model- and region-specific interfaces for automakers. The INRIX OpenCar ecosystem currently includes more than 2,250 registered developers representing hundreds of companies.
In addition to Amazon Alexa automotive integration, INRIX is developing an Alexa skill that will enable users to communicate with their connected vehicles from within their homes. Using Alexa via products like Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, users will soon be able to ask for real-time traffic and travel times to a destination, find and reserve parking, and more. Information, like route directions and traffic conditions, can be sent directly to OpenCar-equipped vehicles from inside the home.
"The ubiquity of mobile and cloud technology in our lives makes the integration with Amazon Alexa a key solution for people looking to maintain personalized and seamless connectivity throughout their daily lives," said Joe Berry, vice president of OpenCar at INRIX, in a statement. "Innovative technology, like Amazon Alexa, enables OpenCar to meet the needs of automakers and deliver a next-gen experience for connected cars."