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Should You Include Amazon Alexa in Your Car?

When it comes to music on the move, include Amazon Alexa in your car to make your commute or road trips that much more enjoyable.

By Patricia SarkarPublished 5 years ago 7 min read
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Photo by Matheus Bertelli from Pexels

If you were around in the 80s and 90s, you might recall the cellular car phone. At the time, you may have thought it was the coolest, smartest, most futuristic gadget imaginable. Of course now, like many things we reflect back upon and analyze, this bulky, awkward invention is obsolete, and arguably ridiculous, in the minds of millennials and beyond.

Since the days of hieroglyphics, society has adapted with communication and creativity that foster advancements in technology and innovation. We have to give thanks to all of those visionaries who have helped make it a better life for the rest of us. They are the original "Influencers."

Without them, we wouldn't have Amazon Alexa as a family’s new virtual roommate in many homes today. As much as that premise seems far-fetched and "up in the clouds," the irony is that Alexa is a cloud-based resource center, full of information hailing from out there in the atmosphere to holding conversations with millions of people across the globe, all at the same time. Take a second to appreciate how mesmerizing developers and technology actually are, especially when you include Amazon Alexa in your car.

How do you envision your personal assistant Alexa?

Photo by Amos Bar-Zeev on Unsplash

Did you know you can change the name of your Alexa device to "Amazon" or "Echo" just in case your roommate or partner shares the name with the omnipresent encyclopedia? Another interesting tidbit is that Amazon landed on the name "Alexa" because its "X" is a fundamentally uncommon phonic sound that results in minimal mistakes when users articulate her name.

People demand convenience, efficiency, information, and entertainment... at their fingertips. Well, that used to be the cliché until voice-controlled devices like Amazon Alexa and Garmin Speak arrived on the scene. Wait, something better has come along? I can just shout out commands? Off with our fingertips... so to “speak.” Whether or not you engage with voice controls or own an Amazon Echo 2 or Echo Plus, it’s amazing to fathom the capability to speak out into the environment and have your questions be answered.

Business in the 1980s: "Secretary, hold my calls...I'm hanging up, heading into a meeting, and won't be accessible for a few hours."

Photo by Greg Sharko/Popular Science

If it's useful at home, could you and would you take it with you? Advantages abound when considering transforming your car to be Alexa enabled. Simply download the app and let the endless content flow via your blue link or USB ports. The more you utilize her, the more you become attached. Need her everywhere you go? Would you include the Alexa app in your car? Do you think it couldn't hurt to bring her along? Or do you buy into this technology overload?

Let’s explore a few of the day-to-day benefits if opting to include Alexa in your car.

Sadly, research shows that one out of four car accidents in the US is attributed to texting while driving. Including Alexa in your car alleviates the need to grab your phone for a quick glance at your email, or to shoot off a couple emojis to your BFF. 99.9 percent of the time, your fellow communicator can wait till you park. Do you think the brilliant gurus at Amazon ever imagined an Alexa device in your car could actually save lives?

PSA: Stop texting while driving.

Photo by Marcel Langthim (Pixel-mixer)

On a brighter note, let's focus on the day-to-day fun with Alexa riding shotgun. Running errands after work? She stores your reminders and helps add items to your shopping list straight from the tip of your tongue.

Need directions but bothered by looking at your phone to access Waze or Google Maps? Alexa's voice control guides you there as long as the volume is turned up on your car speakers.

You can really test your Alexa skill and keep your day moving by merging your favorite apps so you can pre-order your Starbucks latte or pay a quick bill. You could also have a pizza delivered or get your Boar’s Head deli meat order underway at your nearest grocery store before even hitting the road.

Once the tasks are complete, kick back with Amazon Alexa in your car and let her orchestrate the venue. Whether BMW connected, via your Infiniti speakers, or any car's bluetooth, urge Alexa to dig deep into your playlist and let the voice controls set the concert scene as you cruise around town. The amount of Alexa commands you need to know are virtually endless.

DJ Alexa is live and in overdrive!

Photo via Pixabay

Not only is Alexa your personal disc jockey, but she's also a wonderful educator, and has tons of fun up her invisible sleeve. Road trips with the kids can be beneficial and educational if you include Alexa in your car. Play Jeopardy, or hold trivia with the kids. Listen to a podcast about their favorite school subject, or anything else you may want to learn after you drop them off at school. Then, take a timeout and ask her if the fields will be too wet for practice tonight.

Upcoming events, birthdays, and holidays—so much shopping to do and so little time. Rest assured, voice controls via Alexa and the Amazon Echo help us multi-task more than ever. Among our busy lives and constant plans, it's nice to get things done at home so you can relax a little and "just do you." With the Alexa app, sometimes we forget that she's there or how she can help. No longer look back in bed at night and think to yourself, "I wish I would've told Alexa to cancel my appointment while I was cutting vegetables and packing kids' lunches! Ugh, missed opportunity. Alexa could have tracked my package while I was stuck in traffic all afternoon." Some commutes can be brutal, but let's be brutally honest: Are you optimizing Alexa to her full potential?

Distractions abound in today's society, and if we are not careful, we could waste some valuable time getting caught walking down the wrong path. Voice-controlled devices like the Echo Dot have alleviated the need to stare down at your smartphone. "Looking ahead," the technology will only continue improving, so keep your head up and your eyes on the prize of convenience and modernization.

Watch where you're walking and let Alexa do the talking.

Photo by 13smok via Pixabay

Alexa can get you prepped for the day ahead, so why not keep your ears peeled for outfit suggestions for your lunch meeting or healthy recipe ideas for dinners this week? Why not utilize Google or Android auto to enhance your car speakers? FM Radio is dead air compared to Alexa's output of endless information and entertainment.

Imagine this is just the beginning for speakers that are Alexa enabled, evolving into more and more vehicles for months and years to come. Amazon continues to amaze as the Alexa app has crossed boundaries into devices like the Sonos One speaker, GE Lamps, and theLGInstaview Refrigerator. Including Alexa in your car might be inevitable, and odds are with millions already using her at home, it will be widely popular behind the wheel sooner than later.

Holla at your girl!

Photo by mcmurryjulie via Pixabay

Mesh everyday apps with the Alexa skill set, now with tens of thousands of third-party partners. Simply asking what the score on your ESPN app is or entering your Capital One account details gets all your services up and running in one place. Download your daily five minute Core and Cardio program to balance and recharge. Or ask Alexa to narrate that last chapter of your Kindle selection you couldn't stay awake through last night.

Most of us are happy to hear on-demand weather reports, movie showtimes, and news stories in real-time, anytime we so desire. If you include Amazon Alexa in your car, consider how much nicer it would be to mellow into meditation as you battle the daily rush hour road rage. The Alexa skill linked with a home smart-system like Nest would do wonders and set the scene for your homecoming. Take advantage of a smart home by turning on some lights, getting the A/C cranking, and unlocking the front door, right from your driveway.

In conclusion, voice controls using an Alexa device can simplify your routine and catch you up on what's happening in the world. In the end, it will be up to the individual to gauge and determine to what level they want their lives impacted by voice controls and constant conversation. Your personal assistant could play any song ever created and bring the Web's information superhighway into your car. After all, she is whomever you create her to be, so let her keep things grooving while you keep things moving through your day and on down the road.

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About the Creator

Patricia Sarkar

Raised on a steady diet of makeup and games. Eager to share my experiences with the world and make a difference, article by article! :)

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