Remembering something out of the blue is a common occurrence when you’re driving.

As a thought strikes, you remember that you’re out of staples, or maybe you need to book a dentist appointment for your daughter. But hey, it’s not always a good idea to reach for your phone in an attempt to lock down a reminder.

Well, from mid-2018, that’s going to change.

Expanding its Alexa-everywhere strategy, Amazon has teamed up with the BMW Group, which will see their intelligent personal assistant soon integrated into selected MINIs.

While driving, Alexa will respond to commands through microphones embedded into the car and, for many requests, she will provide voice responses paired with visual cards on the car’s dashboard, reports The Verge:

“It’s a complete, comprehensive set of internet capabilities that is available inside your vehicle,” a MINI executive said at an Amazon event today in Seattle.

And it really is – if you have never hung out with Alexa, just take a look at the kind of conversations you can potentially have with her:

With Alexa inside the vehicle, drivers can easily use voice commands to access those basic Alexa services like asking for news and weather, setting reminders, and accessing third-party apps like Spotify and TED Talks:

The built-in assistant will enable drivers to get directions, make phone calls, play music and Audible content, control their smart home, and check the news – all without needing to download a separate app.

And this isn’t the first time the two companies have worked together.

They first produced Alexa Skill, which “allows car owners to talk to their apps or Echo to check things like remaining fuel”. Nice.

Here’s the video BMW released when they announced the collaboration with Amazon:

So what does this mean beyond personal use? Well:

The introduction of Alexa into MINI offers Amazon a high-profile perch in the emerging world of tech giant software inside of traditional autos. It positions Alexa as a competitor to Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto.

To find out more, pop over here.

If what you see tickles your fancy, and you just can’t wait for the middle of next year, pop Seth an email – here –  and he will hook you up with a discount to get the wheels rolling.

[source:theverge]