Kia Motors announced at 2010 CES their new in-car communications and entertainment system, "UVO powered by Microsoft." UVO is short for "Your Voice" and will be available on the new 2011 Kia Sorento in the second half of 2010.
UVO uses voice commands primarily and a touch panel to control your vehicle's mobile phone and media/music entertainment. A 4.3-inch touch panel screen, which doesn't require navi but always includes a back-up camera, is the visual-manual input solution.
Kia said it is differentiated from the Sync system (also powered by Microsoft) in that it has "flat grammar" capability, which allows simple, quick voice commands without having to go through several menus. UVO claims to understand complex grammar, and thus needs only short voice commands to initiate the function. But the new version of Sync also has flat grammar capability.
UVO uses a Microsoft voice engine and generator, while Sync uses the highly touted Nuance system. UVO's voice engine worked well during the demo and practical differences between the two couldn't be distinguished.
And although UVO performed well, it's not a game-changer like the original Sync, and it doesn't include mobile app capability like a number of new similar production and prototype competitor systems.
So the impression UVO made was completely underwhelming.
What is remarkable is that Kia, which barely has a navi program, let alone an abundance of advanced-tech devices and driver assist systems in its vehicles, becomes only the second carmaker to release a production version of a voice engine-controlled mobile phone/entertainment system -- beating out all the big boys from the U.S, Europe, and Japan.
Rest assured, other major carmakers will take notice and come out with similar systems in the near future.
Albert Austria, Senior Engineer, Edmunds, Inc.
carguy622 says:
11:35 AM, 01/ 8/10
I'm sure the Germans will come up with a way to make it complex and confusing when they come out with it though. I can envision the German version of Sync now:
Person: Pushes voice command button.
Car: "Would you like to give a voice command?"
Person: Pushes button says "Yes"
Car: "Speak command now!"
Person: Pauses for a second to think of the required terminology that the car will understand.
Car: "Voice command canceled"
Person: Pushes button again.
Car: "Would you like to give a voice command?"
Person: Anxious car will get bored, pushes button, blurts out command "Play Black Eyed Peas, My Humps".
Car: "That is a Yes or No question".
Person: Angrily pushes voice command button "Yes".
Car: "Speak command now!"
Person: "Play Black Eyed Peas, My Humps"
Car: "No music for you. Drive now, music later."
tp660 says:
03:03 PM, 01/ 8/10
@carguy622: Lmao. That is so true. The Germans are horrible at this voice command/user interface stuff. Especially BMW, they're probably the worst.
cr_driver says:
10:56 AM, 01/ 9/10
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!