One of the main reasons, we reckon (without having any type of scientific study to back this claim, of course), is the lack of another person to talk to. You must have notice that even the car seems to drive differently when someone else is in the car with you. Unfortunately, that's not always possible.
With that in mind, we can't but salute Ford's UK initiative to launch the Voice Control for its vehicles. It allows drivers to operate their radio and CD system, adjust the climate control and select a route on the satnav system by speaking, rather than pushing buttons (you know, "computer, lights!" sort of thing).
Ok, we know this is not like actually like having a sentient being on the right seat, but it's like the next best thing. Imagine seeing something unbelievable on the road and having no one to show it too. You just go "Holly, look at the sunset!" and the satnav, using Homer's voice, goes "Doughnuts. Is there anything they can't do?" Funny, right? It will keep us busy for hours...
Well, not quite funny. The approach is much more linear than that, Star Trek-like (without the "computer!" part): "dial number," "phone" and so on. A full guide for the commands and additional info can be found here.
“We have designed Ford Voice Control to be easy and intuitive to use. Drivers need to remember just a few simple commands, like ‘phone’ or ‘dial name", and the system guides them step-by-step,” Markus Pazina, Ford navigation and connectivity engineer said.
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