It's tough to pick the best digital car gadgets, but some are so cool, they scream for attention. This new model may seem ordinary at first sight, but this smart, hands-free technology lets you keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the steering wheel.
iLane is a portable voice-command system from Waterloo-based Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (IMS), which lets you speak commands to run your mobile smart phone, hands-free in your car.
What makes it special is that it goes beyond simply calling a contact with a voice command, something already available in better smart phones. It speaks back to you and responds to simple voice commands, allowing you to do much more while keeping your hands on the steering wheel. It comes with a specially tuned, Bluetooth-dedicated headset that also charges from iLane's car charger.
For example, after a one-time setup, as soon as I got into my car with my BlackBerry Bold turned on, iLane sensed its presence and offered to read my newest emails, even "listening" for new ones, while I drove. It also offered to respond by recording a short verbal message and emailing it to the original sender. Or it can call the sender for a phone conversation.
You can manage your files, even deleting them, all by the dozens of voice controls it instantly responds to. If you forget the commands, it asks you about what other similarly related functions to do, based on what you did last.
The headset is tuned to work with the iLane receiver, forming a secure two-way voice command connection to your smart phone, and leaving no traces of your actions outside the phone itself.
Interestingly, there is an Internet connection. It's a special online portal the iLane device connects to, which offers additional verbal services as part of the $7 monthly subscription.
Saying "news," for example, will read you the top stories, including Canadian events, and saying "weather" brings you weather conditions for any city you ask about. Similarly, it will also read back appointments from your calendar. The news portal, e-mail, and phone functions use your cellphone's voice and data plan.
With a cost of $599, iLane is targeted at businesspeople and is currently only available for BlackBerry phones equipped with Bluetooth. Windows Mobile and Symbian-based phones will follow. IMS said it's talking to cellphone companies for future subsidized plans.
I found iLane delivered as promised, requiring no "listening" training, and effectively responding to my voice commands. It currently works only in English. More languages are in the works.
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