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![]() ![]() There’s even a “Find My” feature for remembering where you parked. With Alexa brought to life in your car, you can talk to her just like talking to any other Amazon Echo speaker, with the ability to answer your queries, set reminders and alarms, add things to your shopping list and control smart devices around your home.įinally, you can configure the Amazon Alexa app to automatically launch Auto Mode when it’s connected to the car, giving you easy access to touchscreen shortcuts such as music controls, making a call and getting directions home. The unit doesn’t have any built-in smarts of its own and is completely reliant on your phone. The set-up process pairs the Echo Auto’s speaker unit to your smartphone via Bluetooth, so it can connect automatically when you get behind the wheel and turn on the electrics. Setting up the new Amazon Echo Auto requires installing the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone, which you presumably already have if you’re a fan of Alexa and have Echo speakers around your home. Amazon Echo Auto (2nd gen) specs Smart assistant The short USB cable between the car charger and speaker module leaves it hanging in a awkward location. Some people might also prefer a 3.5mm cable with an L-shaped jack, so it sits flush against the AUX input on the front of the stereo. If the USB cable was a bit longer, and perhaps the speaker module had its own sticky magnetic mount, then it would be easier to tuck the speaker module out of sight. While the design is a big improvement over the first Echo Auto, that super-short USB cable is a hassle because it leaves the speaker module hanging awkwardly from the car charger – looking even worse if the 3.5mm cable is snaking to the car stereo’s AUX input. ![]() The power adapter features a USB-A port to power the Echo Auto and a USB-C port to power another device, with support for fast charging. Motorola MA1 Wireless Car Adapter: a fiddly but helpful Android Auto enabler (review)Ī 5cm USB cable extends from the other end of the speaker module, which plugs into the supplied 12-volt car power adapter. You can link the speaker module to your car via Bluetooth, or via the 3.5mm audio jack and supplied 60cm audio cable. This module has a tiny built-in speaker which allows Alexa to talk to you during setup, but most of the time she wants to make herself heard via your car stereo. The microphone is on the end of a 90cm cable that runs back to the speaker module. With the microphone attached to the magnetic mount, it’s easy to talk to Alexa and reach the buttons. Plus, it makes it easier to reach the action and mute buttons on the front, which are accompanied by a status light. More choice over where you place the microphone also ensures that Alexa can hear you more clearly. One advantage of the magnetic mount is that it’s easy to detach the microphone and hide it out of sight when you leave the car. Simply stick the mount in a convenient location and then attach the microphone to the magnet.Īlternatively, you can pay a few extra dollars for Amazon to include an air vent mount for the microphone. To assist with this, Amazon provides a tiny mount that is sticky on the back and magnetic on the front. ![]() The microphone half of the second-gen Amazon Echo Auto is only the size of your thumb, making it much easier to tuck away somewhere on the dashboard. Amazon has improved on this by splitting the unit into separate pieces for the speaker and microphone. The original palm-sized Amazon Echo Auto was designed to attach to your car’s air vent, but it was a bit cumbersome and looked unsightly. Amazon Echo Auto (2nd gen) first impressions It’s easy to stick the magnetic mount in an a convient location, rather than rely on an air vent mount. You can chat to her while you’re cruising the streets, but her usefulness is limited by the fact that she’s still completely dependent on your phone. ![]() To fill this gap in your life, the Amazon Echo Auto brings Alexa to life in your car. ![]()
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