Final Report of a concept Car Infotainment System for Honda.

1. FINAL REPORT
SER 594 - Human Computer Interaction (Team 2)
Ishan Dikshit (1211479279)
Nayan Tiwari (1211212389)
Ram G Athreya (1209301700)
Riticca Gargi Soni (1211167708)
05.01.2017

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION 3
2 HONDA INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM 3
3 RESEARCH 7
3.1 ONLINE RESEARCH 7
3.2 FIELDWORK IN A HONDA DEALERSHIP 9
3.3 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 10
3.4 CONCLUSIONS 15
4 OUR DESIGN PROTOTYPE 15
4.1 STEERING WHEEL DESIGN 16
4.2 CENTRE STACK DESIGN 18
4.3 CONNECTIVITY 24
5 REFERENCES 28
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1 INTRODUCTION
A car infotainment system is a collection of hardware and software in automobiles that
provides audio or video entertainment. It originated with car audio systems that
consisted of radios and cassette or CD players. Once controlled by simple dashboards
knobs and dials, ICE systems can include steering wheel audio controls and handsfree
voice control.
In-vehicle infotainment systems have a profound effect on the way we interact with our
cars. They connect us to the outside world, richen the driving experience, and help
mitigate distracted driving -- or at least that's the idea, for the only means by which an
infotainment system can deliver on these promises is with a human-machine interface
that's equal parts responsive and intuitive. Now that the average consumer has become
accustomed to tinkering with virtually every aspect of their cell phone, television, or
tablet, vehicle customization plays a significant role in the automotive space as well.
2 HONDA INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM
The Honda Infotainment System consists of the following components:
1. Steering Wheel
2. Screen behind Wheel
3. Centre Stack
4. Voice System
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Through this system the driver can access all the features offered from Honda such as
Navigation, Phone Call, Radio, Audio, Climate Control, etc. using the support of either
touch buttons, physical button or voice commands.
The Honda Infotainment System has been evolving through years and the latest 2017
models have relatively high level of connectivity and infotainment features even in the
base Accord LX, which should please budget shoppers.
The current generation of Honda’s infotainment system has a larger 8-inch color touch
screen. The navigation system is provided by Garmin. It contains several on-screen
buttons, such as power button, home, etc. It is based on the Open Source Android
operating system. They provide three USB ports and all of them are accessible through
the system. The one present on the back is not immediately accessible but can be used
for charging. The default audio application connects to Honda’s Aha Server. The system
has complete access of the audio files present in the system it is connected to such as a
phone or iPod. Navigation can be done via scrolling and just like android devices and iOS
devices it provides an arrow key to minimize and maximize while listening to music,
thus showing album art of the song that’s playing right now and several options similar
to phones. Various gestures are provided such as tap, swipe, pinch, zoom etc similar to
smartphones.
Navigation
The navigation system provided by Garmin provides pinch zoom-in, zoom-out, traffic
information, etc. It runs on android and is faster than other aftermarket navigation
system. The built-in menu shows you navigation options like Where To?, Traffic, Detour,
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etc. If, for example, you click on “Where To?”, it’ll show you several options like Home,
Honda, Places, etc.
The Info button contains information related to your car. For example it contains Trip
Counter, that, as the name suggests, shows the entire information of your trips, like the
number of miles covered, fuel economy, etc.
Connectivity with Smartphones
The user can connect their smartphone to the system (available in both iPhone and
Android) via the HondaLink application. This application requires your phone to be
connected to the Internet, and it shows options like Places (for navigation), Vehicle (for
maintenance, recalls/ campaigns), Messages from Honda, Help and support, etc.
Voice Recognition
The voice command feature is quite average. The problem with the system is that it is not
a single layer instruction system, thus, in order to just perform one action it will take a
lot of time navigating from one layer to another. Voice command gives access to Phone
Call, Climate control, Music Search, Navigation, etc. The microphone provided by Honda
has a unidirectional mic that is focused towards the driver so it is limited to the person
driving the vehicle.
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Screen Freeze-out
We gathered from our fieldwork that as soon as the car comes in motion the Centre Stack
Display becomes inaccessible and thus it is considered as one of the safety measure so
that the driver won’t be distracted while he is driving. It must be noted that major cause
of death in the US is people getting distracted by either their mobile phones or the
infotainment system. So this is a very important and thoughtful safety measure. One
downside of this approach which we are trying to correct is that if there is a passenger
present in the car and they wish to access the system they would be unable to do so.
Honda’s Driver Attention System
The Driver Attention System keeps a check on the driver’s attention while driving. It
alerts the driver when he has diminishing attention to the road and alerts him to take a
break. It pays attention to the steering input and detects a pattern. There are four bars in
the attention system. If the bar drops to two, it’ll display a message saying “Attention
level low. Time for a break.” If the display moves to one bar, it’ll say “Time for a break.”
and the system will issue visual and audible alerts as well as vibrations on the steering
wheel. Mainly this system is for people who drive at night.
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3 RESEARCH
During the course of this project we followed three approaches towards user and
product research to better understand the domain, existing solutions and pain points.
The three approaches are elaborated in subsequent sections and are as follows:
1. Online Research
2. Fieldwork in a Honda Dealership
3. Survey Questionnaire
3.1 ONLINE RESEARCH
In this phase we researched online for consumer and expert reviews on Honda’s latest
infotainment system.
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Online Research Approach
In our research we have only taken credible and reliable sources of reviews such as
Google App store, ConsumerReports.org, CarAndDriver.com etc.
Key Findings
None of the platforms showed the
consumers very satisfied with the
Honda’s new Infotainment system.
Major websites like caranddriver.com
termed the infotainment system as
‘frustrating and poor’​. They further
went on to say that ​‘system is really
slow and lacks basic operations, which
might make an otherwise happy day
into an irritated affair.’
Honda performed last in the average category in a Consumerreports.org survey, where it
stood a mediocre position with just 49% consumers very satisfied with the system.
Mostly, consumers reported issues like bad voice recognition, non-intuitive on-screen
buttons.
For app integration with the system, app marketplaces too reflected lackluster
performance. Google’s App store has a rating of 2.1 for the Hondalink App which is one
of the lowest for infotainment apps in the category. Consumers typically demanded more
options in the app like remote start, lock etc.
Excerpts from Experts and Users
ConsumerReports.org:​ 49% very
satisfied, Overall - Average
“Honda and Acura info​tainment systems
come in several designs, none of which
make owners happy. Many were
dissatisfied with voice-command
quality​—the lowest-ranked among all
brands.”
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Google Playstore HondaLink App:​ 2.1/5
“It's 2017, the app should have many more features like remote start, locking / unlocking
doors...etc.”
CarAndDriver.com:​ 3/5
“Frustratingly, the infotainment system’s responses to touch inputs are among the slowest
of any system we’ve tested, with an average response time of more than a second.”
3.2 FIELDWORK IN A HONDA DEALERSHIP
In order to have a better understanding of the infotainment system , our team went to
Tempe Honda on the Monday morning of ​27th February 2017.
Contact details of the showroom
Address​: 8030 S Autoplex Loop, Tempe, AZ 85284
Phone​:(480) 893-7900
Team who went to visit :
Nayan Tiwari
Ram G Athreya
Riticca Gargi Soni
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We met ​Richard Lim ​(Sales Consultant) who briefed us with the Honda system, and gave
us a lot of useful information regarding the infotainment system, which we may have not
realized by ourselves.
The following are our observations based on our interaction with Richard and our own
experience while using the infotainment system:
1. The infotainment system has 3 modes of interaction:
a. Touch Screen Display (Touch and Gesture Control)
b. Steering Controls (Buttons)
c. Voice (Speech Recognition)
2. Although a number of features are packed into the touch screen display climate
control is still provided as buttons and volume control as a knob
3. While driving, the infotainment system screen freezes out. That is that all the
features are disabled for touch use and it can be operated either using voice
commands(for Calling purpose) or physical buttons present on the Steering wheel.
4. The BSI System contains sensors in front and back of the car which try to prevent
driver distraction. These sensors get activated at the time the vehicle ‘s relative
distance approaches for a possible clash. This might be a bit irritating as it gets
activated at odd timings.
5. Buttons are still available mainly catering to the older generation i.e. there are
still few features which have the access using physical button either below the
centre stack or on the steering wheel.
6. Seamless smartphone connectivity and provides syncing with phone contacts,
messaging, calls as well as music and apps. The connectivity we performed was
using a bluetooth connections which was synced with our smartphone on the
second time we tried to connect. Once the phone gets connected, the music files
can be retrieved and played.
3.3 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
As part of our research we also conducted an online survey to better understand user’s
needs and expectations from a car infotainment system as well as existing satisfaction
levels with their present systems. We created the survey online using TypeForm and
distributed through social media. The survey garnered 17 unique responses and the
questions as well as their results are presented below.
1. What is your age
2. What is your gender
3. The Car Infotainment system is a very important factor in my purchasing decision
for a new car
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4. I find my infotainment system complicated and confusing
5. What features are must haves for you
6. What attributes matter to you the most
7. What is your most preferred method of interaction
8. How often do you get distracted when operating the infotainment system while
driving
9. Support for Third Party Apps (eg: Pandora, Waze, WhatsApp etc) are very
important for me
10. Overall, I am very satisfied with my infotainment system
We created an infographic of the results of the survey to present our findings in a more
visual appealing form. A detailed breakdown of our findings through all three forms of
our research(fieldwork, online research and survey questionnaire) are presented in the
next section.
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3.4 CONCLUSIONS
The following sections presents the key findings from our research through fieldwork,
online research and questionnaire.
1. Consumers are confused with existing systems:​ Our research suggests a sizable
percentage of people (25%) find the infotainment system confusing which
indicates that there is scope for improvement in this area
2. Touch System is one of the slowest around:​ Our research indicates that a
sizeable amount of people find the Honda’s touch screen slow
3. Voice Recognition needs improvement:​ The voice parser is slow, it needs
accurate english phrases. Voice as a method of interaction is preferred only by
25% of consumers
4. Blind Spot Information (BSI) System fails to work in certain situations:​ The
sensors used in BSI system in Honda was not able to recognize many nearby
objects and often gave bad results
5. More thought should be put into dual screen:​ The two screens duplicate the
data displayed and freezes up the screen even for the passenger which makes
accessibility available only for the driver
6. Car Infotainment Systems need to be prioritized higher:​ We collected several
brochures (about half dozen) from the dealership as part of our fieldwork but
none of them had any information on the infotainment system
7. People are not that into 3rd Party Apps:​ Marketing materials of Honda’s system
and several other manufacturers focus heavily on 3rd party apps (the Aha App for
Honda) even though our survey suggests consumers are not particularly
interested in it
8. Navigation, Safety and Music are must haves:​ Navigation, Safety and Music are
paramount concerns for consumers with over 85% asking for it
9. High Scope for Improvement:​ Finally only 29% of respondents in the survey
were satisfied with existing systems which indicates that there is much work that
needs to be done
4 OUR DESIGN PROTOTYPE
Based on our introspections we drew two important conclusions during our research
and brainstorming process. The first is that the existing infotainment system packs too
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many features which are functional and useful but are not easily accessible. For example
when trying to find a nearby gas station a user would typically have to navigate 3 or 4
levels deep into the navigation app to access that information. This is suboptimal and can
be vastly improved. Another realization was the fact that existing systems both by Honda
and other manufacturers primarily focus on the centre stack or the middle of the
steering wheel while the wheel itself is underutilized. We have also tried to incorporate
our learnings from our research and interviews to better inform us on our design
decisions.
Based on the above mentioned points we propose a design concept that focuses on the
following attributes:
1. Personalization through Context
2. Adaptive Based on Usage
3. Organization
4. Customization
The motivations behind our concept are simple. The existing system has features that are
relevant only in some context so we propose to surface them only when the context
demands. We propose a framework to organize existing features, apps etc to streamline
the user experience and make it easier for the user to get to what they want when they
want it. Finally, we have added a customization layer throughout our design to give
more power to the user and ensure that they are always in control.
We have identified three target areas that we would like to improve and modify to
realize our vision. They are:
1. Steering Wheel
2. Centre Stack
3. Connectivity
In subsequent sections we will elaborate on
how we plan to redesign and reimagine
these parts of the infotainment system to
enhance the user experience and reduce
driver distraction.
4.1 STEERING WHEEL DESIGN
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Motivations behind redesigning the Steering Wheel
We wanted to design a feature that gets the task done with little or no distraction to the
driver. The design of the features had to be in such a way that it is reachable to the
driver easily. We also wanted to exploit the unused space on the steering wheel to
display minimal and unobtrusive context aware information.
Following changes are proposed for the Steering Wheel:
1. Trackball in the place of arrow buttons for menu navigation:
This will help bring a five button complex navigation to a single
button one and prevent user making erroneous inputs. Also, it
brings the volume tracker closer to the driver’s hand solving
another major interaction problem in the interaction design.
2. Contextual Information displayed on the upper part of the
steering wheel: ​As we know the main screen freezes while driving for safety
reasons. The only way to interact with the system is voice or the small screen at
the back of the wheel which presents only one menu option at a time. It is also
hard to reach the option you are looking for due to lack of screen space.
The steering wheel provides three kinds of information which are:
1. Menu
2. Notifications
3. Navigation
Menu
The proposed system on invocation will display the contextual menu to the driver which
can be navigated and accessed through the trackball on the left side of the steering
wheel. This menu is extended on the front screen where the user can see a list of choices
to select from.
For example, if a user selects Places from the main menu on the wheel, the wheel menu
changes to icons like restaurants, hospitals, gas stations etc. Whenever a user navigates
to any icon using left-right interaction, a list of those places are displayed in the front
screen which can be accessed using the up-down interaction of the trackball.
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Notifications
The system can also be used to provide notifications to the user
about their distraction level, directions etc. The level of urgency is
signified through the number of red LEDs that are lit up on an event.
Thus making notifications more informative than just a series of
jitters that are hard to interpret. In addition to the LEDs, a message
would be displayed on the front screen which will have the
information on the actual issue and perhaps next steps depending
on the context.
Navigation
The proposed system also makes use of the steering wheel display to
help the user navigate. Green LEDs light up based on the direction in
which the user needs to make the next turn. This will help the user
to make turns without having to look at the screen in the centre
stack.
4.2 CENTRE STACK DESIGN
We have attempted to segment the interaction of the user into two modes based on the
car’s driving context. They are:
1. Standby Mode:​ When the car is stationary
2. Driving Mode:​ When the car is in motion
At any given point of time the car can only be in one of these modes and seamlessly
transcends from one mode to another based on the state of the car. The Centre Display
changes based on the mode and provides information and controls that are relevant to
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the context.
We also propose that both Volume Control and Brightness to be removed from the Centre
Stack display and instead provided as dedicated knobs. This is because having these two
controls as knobs makes them easier to manipulate and control and also frees up space
in the display to show more relevant features. We also propose to remove the browser
app since it can be effectively used only in standby mode and when the car is stationary
it is easier to access the Internet through your phone than through the Centre Stack
Display.
When a Honda car comes in motion, the ones with the latest infotainment system, the
screen freezes and the driver or even a co-passenger cannot use the system. The screen
becomes completely inaccessible. Our design supports touch but with very limited scope.
Drive can choose only some of the options. Options like Navigation, Weather, Rear
Camera and info, will be available.
Centre Stack (Standby Mode)
The Centre Stack Display is an 8-inch LCD Screen developed based on a fork of the Open
Source Android Operating System. The display can be broadly split into 3 sections which
are:
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1. Persistent Menu
2. Notification Panel
3. Navigation Tab Panel
Persistent Menu
The persistent menu on the left changes depending on the mode of interaction. It is
called the persistent menu since it is always available to the user even when they are
navigating inside an app. In standby mode the options available to the user are:
1. Home:​ To navigate to the Home Screen
2. Menu:​ Displays list of all apps in the system
3. Phone:​ Available when the phone is plugged into the system. Allows easy access
to contacts, messages, etc
4. Back:​ Quickly navigate to previous screen within apps
5. Custom:​ User can customize based on their needs.
The user can change the custom option through the infotainment system itself or
through the HondaLink app in their smartphone.
Notification Panel
The notification panel provides some key information such as the time, current battery
level in your smartphone, GSM signal strength etc. The panel also provides some quick
options to the user which are preset as Map and Music since our research indicates that
these are the most sought after features by the car buyer but they are programmed to
change based on usage. The user can also customize this feature to set specific apps
through the display or the HondaLink app.
Navigation Tab Panel
We replaced the Carousel interface in the existing Honda Infotainment System in favor
of a tab panel which are categorically organized. There are five tabs in total and they are
as follows:
1. Custom
2. Navigation
3. Entertainment
4. Car
5. MyHonda
Selecting a particular tab shows corresponding information in the content area. The
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custom tab is preset with most used apps but is entirely customizable to the user. The
rest of the tabs provide only minimal customization.
There are three types of UI elements which can be found in the content area. They are:
1. Apps:​ Pre-existing apps provided by the system such as Navigation, Music etc.
2. Shortcuts:​ This is a big feature of our proposal. Shortcuts are specific actions
within apps. Shortcuts are bookmarks to features within apps. We hope to use
shortcuts to solve existing problems such as accessing inner features within apps.
For example nearest gas station could be a shortcut that you can place in your
home screen. This would reduce multiple taps on the screen to just two taps. One
to access the navigation tab and another to select the shortcut.
3. Widgets:​ Since the system is built using Android we can leverage the native
widgets feature available in the operating system to provide custom widgets that
can provide key information in a more interactive manner. For example the
Music Player could be a widget right in your home screen similar to existing
Android Systems. We hope using existing smartphone features also help the user
to intuitively understand the system with minimal cognitive load.
Each tab can support a maximum of 8 apps that are split into two rows and four
columns. In each of the categorical tabs we have placed 4 apps/shortcuts that are
arranged in a 2x2 square and widget on the right side which occupies the rest of the
content area.
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The Navigation Tab contains the Navigation app along with quick shortcuts for directions
to Home, the Nearest Gas Station and Restaurants. These shortcuts can be configured to
user’s needs although the layout cannot be changed. The widget on the right side shows
recent and saved locations in the form of a tab list. Icons are provided to differentiate
different places such as restaurants, malls, schools, banks etc. which makes identification
easier for the user.
The Music Tab displays the audio, radio and Honda’s content app Aha. It also provides a
shortcut to access the Rear Audio feature.
Since many respondents to our survey communicated that safety was an important
feature in their car we tried to prioritize it in the car tab. Through the car tab the user
can access Roadside Assistance in case of an emergency or if the driver needs help. We
also provided an option to access the Climate Control App. The tab also provides
shortcuts to change the temperature and fan speed of the HVAC system. The widget on
the right displays key statistics and diagnostic information about the car such as Trip
Counter, Fuel, Odometer, Mileage etc.
The final MyHonda tab is primarily dedicated to the HondaLink and Connect Apps as
well as a widget for Messages from Honda which includes Service Reminders and Recall
Announcements. The Settings and General Car Information Apps can also be accessed
from here.
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Centre Stack (Driving Mode)
When the car is in motion, the options present on the Persistent menu will change from
the ones we saw before, options will be much more limited. If the user wants to change
music, he won’t be able to do it from the screen, the options will be provided in the
steering control, but the information will be provided on the screen.
Override Button
What our design supports is an override button, it won’t be reachable by the driver but
will be reachable by the co-passenger. Pressing that button will bring up the interface
provided in the standby mode and the co-passenger will be able to control the whole
system by themselves.
Navigation System
The navigation system will have a better touch sensitivity, The navigation will be shown
on the screen with permission to a limited touch, i.e., to zoom-in or zoom-out. Also, as we
saw before, our design will show navigation via three different way, 2 screens, one on
the centre stack and one behind the steering control, and the last one via the steering
wheel’s LEDs, indicating when the user is supposed to take turns.
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Weather Tab
The Weather tab will show the weather conditions as well as the weather forecast for a
week. It will show the day as well as the night temperature.
Info Tab
The info tab displays key statistics and diagnostic information about the car such as Trip
Counter, Fuel, Odometer, Mileage etc.
Rear Camera Tab
This tab shows the live realtime feed from the rear view camera in the Centre Stack
display.
4.3 CONNECTIVITY
Our survey, interview and fieldwork clearly reveals that the users were not satisfied by
the connectivity of smartphone with the infotainment system using a wired connection.
For iPhone users, the honda connection cable is very expensive ($99) and keeps
disrupting every few minutes which distracts the driver. Based on the above mentioned
points we propose a design concept that focuses on the following attributes:
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1. A foolproof wireless connectivity.
2. No extra charges for the user.
3. Better connectivity.
Bluetooth
It can be used to connect both the Android and IOS device, and also makes it easier to
have a non disruptive connection .
MirrorLink
This is an inbuilt feature which is available in many smartphones, which makes the
Honda Infotainment System receive a mirror image of the smartphone screen on the
centre stack of the infotainment system. For safety reasons, it can be operated using a
trackball on the Steering wheel mentioned above in our proposed design. When the
smartphone gets connected using either of the above options, the Centre Stack provides
access to the following apps.
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In Driving Mode these phone connectivity features can be used only by voice commands
or the trackball available in the Steering wheel.
Some of the features are listed below :
1. Call: ​This is one of the most wanted feature in the infotainment where the driver
would like to make a call through the system.
2. Contacts: ​Synchronizes with the contacts stored in the smartphone.
3. Connect:​ This feature provides the driver the option to switch the mode of
connectivity of the device (i.e. Bluetooth or Mirror Link).
4. SOS helpline: ​This feature gets enabled automatically when the vehicle meets an
accident. An alarm gets raised and sends the vehicle information, the cell number
and the location of the vehicle to 911.
5. Email: ​It synchronizes with the emails on the phone. It can store the date into the
in-built calendar of the Honda Infotainment System.
6. Edit Feature: ​The user can click and drop the applications in the phone to the
centre stack only at the time of standby mode.
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Voice Recognition System
In our proposed Voice Recognition System we have added special voice commands for
the Centre Stack. Few supported Voice Commands are:
1. For in-built Camera and Video:
a. Start Front/Back Camera
b. Click
c. Delete Recent
d. Stop
e. Start Front/Back Video
f. Start Recording
g. Pause
h. Stop Recording
i. Delete Recent
2. For in-built Email and Calendar:
a. Read Email: This will open the inbuilt Email button and read the unread
emails.
b. Scheduled in Calendar.
c. Reply to Email: For example if the driver has a meeting scheduled, the
person would like confirm it by replying.
d. Delete Email.
3. For Calling
a. Call 4804652891.
b. Call Riticca Gargi Soni.
If there are more than one cell number stored such as office,home
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numbers, the voice command will ask : Which number ? Home ...Pause…
Office.
c. Office: And you ring the call.
d. Call Speed Dial 5: It calls the speed dial number stored in your phone
through the system.
4. For Phone Connectivity:​ If the voice commands are made active, it will respond
to actions performed so that the driver can have a smooth driving experience.
a. Phone is now charging This comes once a smartphone is plugged in for
charging purpose.
b. Phone is now connected: This comes up when the phone is either
connected through mirror link or bluetooth.
c. Bluetooth is now activated: When the user selects the bluetooth option to
connect the smartphone to the infotainment system.
5 REFERENCES
1. http://blog.caasco.com/automotive/60-dashboard-symbols-and-what-they-mean/
2. http://www.consumerreports.org/cars-infotainment-system-brand-by-brand-guide
/
3. http://owners.honda.com/vehicles/information/2017/CR-V/features/blind-spot-infor
mation-system
4. https://www.hondacarindia.com/areas/hondaconnect/
5. http://owners.honda.com/hondalink
6. https://www.engadget.com/2014/10/03/hondas-in-car-connect-system-does-android
-its-own-way-hands-on/
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3__xnvJNrX0
8. http://owners.honda.com/vehicles/information/2017/CR-V/features/blind-spot-infor
mation-system
9. https://www.hondacarindia.com/areas/hondaconnect/
10. http://www.consumerreports.org/cars-infotainment-system-brand-by-brand-guide
/
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-car_entertainment
12. http://www.drdobbs.com/embedded-systems/an-architecture-for-in-vehicle-infotai
nm/222600438?pgno=1
13. http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2014/09/hondalink.html
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