Parrot released a firmware update for its Android-powered car receiver ASTEROID. Software version 1.5 brings a number of new features, including:
- Ability to connect to steering wheel commands via the Parrot UNIKA interface, which sings along the majority of vehicles available on the market. The system allows drivers to access many of the ASTEROID features like hands-free telephony, radio, volume adjustment and selection of music sources.
- New way of sharing a 3G connection – connect your smartphone using a USB cable.
- Hands-free text and email management – via the TextFriendly service that understands your spoken words, while also reading your emails and texts through in-car speakers.
- Access to select web services such as Maps, Wikango HD, Weather, TuneIn and Roadtrip.
We like the idea of having Android (or some other smartphone platform) in our cars, but I’m not sure that’s worth $349, which is the price of the Parrot ASTEROID. Would you pay that much for the benefit?