Garmin has released the
Garmin DriveSmart™ 65 with Amazon Alexa at $299.99 USD. The device is a premium GPS Navigator for cars with Amazon Alexa built-in. I'm not sure why I would want to buy this, but different strokes for different folks. I like my current Garmin and it already has voice command, but not Alexa. The concept of adding Alexa seems to be a very bad one because with it the driver will have the added distractions of a GPS device with Alexa screens for things like lists, etc. Something extra to take away the driver's attention to the road. It looks like it will have some of the functionality of an Alexa Show, including the ability "to create to-do lists, check your calendar, news, weather and traffic, control smart home devices and play interactive games." So imagine how distracting a Show mounted on the dash would be. Hopefully those Alexa functions will be locked out whenever the GPS senses that the vehicle is moving.
Garmin states:
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Drivers should focus on driving and only use this function when safe to do so.
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It does require a smartphone connected to the internet for the Alexa stuff, not sure about the GPS commands though. I prefer my older Garmin which works well even way out in the boonies without internet.
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