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LOS
ANGELES -- Jaguar
Land Rover used its press conference time during the Connected
Car Expo to debut its new justDrive app. It essentially allows
you to use select iPhone or Android apps while you are driving
with voice recognition commands.
Not
all apps are included, just ones that make sense to use in the
car. The list of apps includes popular services such as Spotify,
Twitter and Yelp. The automaker wants drivers to be able to stay
connected while minimizing driver distraction. The goal is for
drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road
while their phone stays in their pocket.
"It
primarily aggregates a number of services and features into one
application such as navigation, telephany, texting, tweeting and
aggregating a number of music streaming services," said Sat
Gill, app portfolio and development manager at Jaguar Land Rover.
"All of these features are voice-controlled, which allow
the driver to have more focus on the road and basically simplify
the task of searching and entering navigation destinations. All
interaction with the apps is done via the touch-screen. It gives
you weather, the option to play today's news from NPR, play is
play the last track that was playing in the vehicle when you left,
go is to go to a destination in your calendar."
justDrive
joins 17 others apps available on the Jaguar Land Rover InControl
Apps system. Those currently available include Stitcher, iheartRadio
and Parkopedia. First, the driver must plug-in their smartphone
using a USB cable. Then, select the justDrive app in your vehicle's
center console.
Gill offered
me a demo of the justDrive app inside a 2014 Land Rover Range
Rover Sport at the L.A. Auto Show. We searched for Italian restaurants
and it gave us a list of the nearest ones, along with phone number
and directions of how to get there. He showed me the music function
and we searched for Taylor Swift, then we were asked "the
artist" or "the album" because she released a self-titled
album. However, I threw the system a curve ball when I asked to
play new pop artist Meghan Trainor, which the system did not recognize
quite yet. Drivers may have to wait several weeks to search for
top 40 hits.
"There
is an option cost for the feature in the vehicle, but all of the
third party applications are free," the app portfolio and
development manager explained. "The justDrive app is free
to Jaguar Land Rover customers. If people have cars that have
the InControl Apps feature already fitted, we will be able to
offer the justDrive application to them. There would be a software
update required for the head unit."
justDrive
is a free app that will launch in early 2015 for iPhone and Android
users. It will work with all 2015 Jaguar F-Type cars and all 2015
Land Rover vehicles. It will be expanded for the entire Jaguar
and Land Rover line-up by the 2016 model year.
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
Jaguar
Land Rover passed out free t-shirts to promote its justDrive
app
I
sat in the driver's seat of this 2015 Jaguar F-Type
