Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Tech My Ride: Entune



You gotta love technology. Not only does it help to simplify our lives, it keeps innovating and keeping us excited for what’s to come. Remember life before smartphones and GPS? Those were scary days, weren’t they?
That being said, Toyota is debuting a new navigation and infotainment system, Entune, which is currently outfitted in select vehicles, such as the 2012 Camry.


Entune syncing, smartphone


So, what does this thing do? Why should you care?

Entune works by syncing with your smartphone and giving you quick access to apps and information on the fly using its large display screen. When you purchase a new Entune equipped vehicle, your salesperson will help you setup the system so that is syncs specifically with your phone. What's cool is that when these apps and services on your phone update, such as Pandora, Entune will automatically sync to the latest versions as well. Even cooler is the fact that it’s an all-in-one system. You get a CD player, HD radio, DVD player, blue tooth capability, and USB/auxiliary ports, with a 7’’ LCD screen to navigate or access your content.

To put things in perspective, think of Entune as Inspector Gadget. It has tools for every situation! You can check the weather at your current location, or wherever you plan on being. If there's traffic ahead, such as a closed lane, Entune will alert you ahead of time. You can even have the system create a detour route for you on the fly in case of heavy highway congestion or road closures!

Along with those features, you can also use the built in gas app to search for nearby gas stations, and Entune will compare prices so that you can find the best deal. Want directions? There's a button that will let you speak out a business or address, and Entune will automatically find the best path for you to take.
Early next year, Toyota is hoping to add more voice recognition technology (similar to iPhone's Siri) so that you can utilize voice commands for just about anything, such as saying "I'm hungry" to pull up nearby restaurants.

Entune voice recognition


 Entune-equipped vehicles come with 3 free years of service, and Toyota will add the service to more vehicles next year. Check out the Toyota website for more on Entune, or visit the Lou Fusz Toyota showroom to take a test drive and try it out for yourself.

2 comments:

  1. Howdy, Erik! I’m so interested in your blog for you do know a lot of things when it comes to Toyota. Your post is very interesting! Yearly, Toyota absolutely surprises us and every model is more technologically advanced than the last. Just like the new Toyota Avalon, they have this new technology called Qi. It’s a global standard for wireless power and charging that is integrated in 34 mobile phone models.

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  2. Thanks Ava! I've heard about Qi (and I wish my Scion had it!)
    I'm eagerly waiting to see it become available on a nation wide basis. Have you tried it out yet?

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