Parrot ASTEROID Updated with Added Support for Steering Wheel and more

The world’s first Android-powered car receiver, the Parrot ASTEROID has been given a firmware update. The car-receiver which can be used as a replacement for your car’s stereo system headset has received the update which will bring its software up to version 1.5. In the update that rolled out recently, a few new features have been added to it in the hope of tweaking your hands-free radio/phone connectivity while driving.

The added feature is the ability to connect to steering wheel commands via the Parrot UNIKA interface, which sings syncs along with the majority of vehicles available on the market. Using the system, drivers will be able to access some of the ASTEROID’s features like hands-free telephony functions, radio, volume adjustment and selection of music sources.

The company has also added a new way of sharing a 3G connection with the headset simply by syncing it with your smartphone via a USB cable. The third feature takes the hands-free experience just one notch higher and reads your texts or e-mails through your speakers that are built-in your car. More than that, it even allows you to write out mails or texts simply by talking via voice recognition. Lastly is the option of selecting web services such as Maps, Wikango HD, Weather, TuneIn and Roadtrip.

While it does seem intriguing to have an Android powered radio like device which can synch with your phone and perform other crazy things that some normal car radios can only dream off, at $349, it seems a little too much to pay for some features that you can probably get if you make full use of your mobile devices nowadays which have taken a few steps ahead in driving hands free since the conception of the Parrot ASTEROID in CES 2011.

Pradeep Chandrasekaran
Categories: Gadgets, Transportation
Tags: Android