The seven-inch (diagonal) touch screen color radios in the Sonic RS and Spark will be produced by LG Electronics, it was announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show. Show goers will be able to test drive the MyLink system for Sonic RS and Spark at a special display.
“The whole philosophy of MyLink is about letting our customers personalize how they bring information and music into their vehicles,” said Sara LeBlanc, GM global infotainment program manager.
“Customers all over the world told us they’ve set up their smartphones exactly how they want them, and the ideal car radio should extend the capabilities of their smartphone rather than try to duplicate them,” she said. “We listened to our customers and gave them a system that is safe, simple and connected.”
With MyLink in the Sonic RS and Spark, the smartphone, in effect, functions in the same way a hard drive would in an embedded infotainment system. Owners of compatible devices can bring their own media into the vehicle through a USB or by docking the smartphone phone using the radio’s Bluetooth connection (Visit gm.com/Bluetooth to see which phones are compatible.). There also is a dedicated plug-in outlet for certain personal music devices and smartphones that do not use USB or Bluetooth connections.
Once the compatible smartphones are integrated, owners can access their personal playlists, photo galleries, phone books and other stored media and data.
To operate the system, the owner selects from options projected onto the touch screen: Audio, Pictures & Movies, Telephone, Smartphone Link and Settings. Each menu selection takes the user though a list of easy-to-select functions.
Phone calls can be made without dialing: The owner can select a name from the stored directory, touch the call function and project the call through the vehicle speakers. Additional media applications will work only when the vehicle is parked.
When the Sonic RS and Spark go on sale, apps for U.S.-based Pandora and Stitcher internet radio will be will be available. Chevrolet MyLink functionality varies by model. MyLink on Sonic and Spark RS does not include integrated voice recognition or Gracenotes capability.
The 2013 Chevrolet Spark goes on sale this summer. MyLink is planned to be standard on the 1LT and 2LT models. The 2013 Sonic RS will be available in the fourth quarter of this year.
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