Chevy Malibu Reads Your Texts and Allows Hands-Free Response

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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The 2014 Chevy Malibu is the latest in a trend by automobile manufacturers to reduce driver cellphone distraction by introducing Text-to-Voice integration in its new models.

The Text-to-Voice system can convert incoming messages to speech and read them over the audio system to the driver.
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All this bs in cars they are junk now days my opinion. I love my 1970 Chevy blazer 4x4, 1967 corvette, and my 1969 chevy 4x4 pu truck :)
 
While directly handling a phone is part of the issue, I just tend to think a lot of people out there can't multi-task at all while driving, much less drive properly. So holding a conversation that requires thought will be just as bad.
 
Good idea, but I'd still like to see a law created that prevents any operation of the phone under motion until you press a nag alert that you can go to jail, it is being logged, and its unsafe (enough to keep the majority of honest people honest and remind them not to be douchebags).

Do they have this in the new Impala?

I don't like the new Malibu at all, but the Impala is really classy (compared to the horrific rental car excuse of an Impala they had last gen).
 
Term-X said:
While directly handling a phone is part of the issue, I just tend to think a lot of people out there can't multi-task at all while driving, much less drive properly. So holding a conversation that requires thought will be just as bad.
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Yes, I absolutely hate the campaign against texting. Texting doesn't kill, people who don't understand distractions while driving kill. I heard an interesting statistic on the radio, apparently 25% of accidents are caused by texting and driving... all except road fatalities haven't increased 33% since people have been able to text and drive. I know cars have been getting safer, but overall I don't think the actual crash rate is increasing (surprisingly, it's not easy to find numbers on that).

In my opinion, it's the same idiots crashing now as were crashing before and they are crashing just as frequently now as they were before, they just happen to be texting while they do it now.
 
yelsewshane said:
All this bs in cars they are junk now days my opinion. I love my 1970 Chevy blazer 4x4, 1967 corvette, and my 1969 chevy 4x4 pu truck :)
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I agree... though all those cars are from a time period which had the highest road casualty rate in the past 70 years :p
 
Two things:

My Ford Explorer has SYNC, text to voice is just one of it's features.

Second, I was rear ended this week by a woman who was trying to talk on her phone and drive at the same time.
My 6 month old car has about three thousand dollars of damage to the rear end.

I'm not buying the point that people aren't more distracted now days.
The point here is, if the woman's insurance company proves she was doing something illegal when she hit me,their responsibility is voided, my insurance will have to pay for her stupidity.
 
They definitely are more distracted, and its not necessarily the fact that someone may have a phone in their hand, but the actual divide of attention and attempting to do too many things at once. Even eating while driving is dangerous. Hell, anything else while driving can be dangerous.
 
yelsewshane said:
All this bs in cars they are junk now days my opinion. I love my 1970 Chevy blazer 4x4, 1967 corvette, and my 1969 chevy 4x4 pu truck :)
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Your opinion would be wrong then. Even the crappiest of cars are lasting longer with less maintenance than old cars. Not sure how you call anything junk when you own a 70 blazer but hey, i always have to put 4 quarts of oil in when i fill up in my 04 silverado, oh wait... No i dont.
 
My Mazda tries to read me my texts... but WP8 is a steaming turd that will probably never work correctly. For the first two days after I paired my phone with that car it would tell me there was a text, and give me a choice to voice prompt it to read. Now it just says "you have a text message from blah blah blah" over and over again, I have to soft-reboot the phone to shut it up so I unpaired them.
 
Tudz said:
I agree... though all those cars are from a time period which had the highest road casualty rate in the past 70 years :p
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yelsewshane said:
All this bs in cars they are junk now days my opinion. I love my 1970 Chevy blazer 4x4, 1967 corvette, and my 1969 chevy 4x4 pu truck :)
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You gentleman do realise you are on a technology and overclockers forum bitching about modern features in modern cars saying ancient caveman transportation was better. I would take modern fuel injection and direct spark over toilet bowls pissing fuel and point based distributors.
 
If you have driven both before the cellphone and after, and you do a lot of city driving, you know exactly how the cellphone has hurt us.

My guess the loss of time alone from longer drive times is in the billions of dollars a year.

Anything that can be done to mitigate the losses is to our benefit.

PS - if you text while you drive, you are a sociopath. You don't realize you are not the only person on the planet.
 
Maybe it's just me, but I see lots of people driving while talking on the phone, and I see quite a few driving very foolishly; but 19 times out of 20, the foolish ones are not on their phones. This whole phone/driving thing seems to me like a bunch of propaganda, with people trying desperately to find a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
 
It better read the full word in abbreviation.
I want to hear LOL omgwtfbbq in long form.
 
If we changed our basic traffic law concept to a model where "accidents" don't exist, you would not need cell phone laws.

ie - Unless there was a proven mechanical cause that was unforeseeable, when you hit something with your car, you've committed a crime and will be prosecuted.

There are very few "accidents". If you go to jail for a minimum of 30 days for hitting anything with your car, attitudes will change, and insurance will be cheaper.
 
my 2009 f150 reads my texts and lets me do things like say reply and then say my text message in return and it came out in 08 -_-
 
magoo said:
Two things:

My Ford Explorer has SYNC, text to voice is just one of it's features.

.
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Yep, My car has had this feature since I purchased it. Additionally, my Nokia 920 will automatically, using Bluetooth, connect and read me any texts that come in and allow me to reply using speech to text automatically.
 
Wrecked Em said:
Maybe it's just me, but I see lots of people driving while talking on the phone, and I see quite a few driving very foolishly; but 19 times out of 20, the foolish ones are not on their phones. This whole phone/driving thing seems to me like a bunch of propaganda, with people trying desperately to find a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
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The people I see texting on the road are usually the ones varying speeds 30 to 50mph in a 40mph zone, unable to stay in the lane and generally a nuisance to be on the road with. I will say though, I am less worried about those talking on the phone (they tend to just slow down a bit) than people that try to text on the road. IMHO, a phone call isn't really any worse than talking to someone physically in the car with them.

That said, there are a lot of people out there that text on the road rather than make a simple phone call.
 
griffinhart said:
The people I see texting on the road are usually the ones varying speeds 30 to 50mph in a 40mph zone, unable to stay in the lane and generally a nuisance to be on the road with. I will say though, I am less worried about those talking on the phone (they tend to just slow down a bit) than people that try to text on the road. IMHO, a phone call isn't really any worse than talking to someone physically in the car with them.
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For the majority that is true, but there are some (particularly women I've noticed) that get so totally engrossed in their conversation that their minds leave their body and its like they are on bare minimum autopilot to keep the vehicle in the lane. A cop could be right behind them with their lights on, and they'd be oblivious, because the story about what Frank did at Jessica's wedding with that harlot is just so fascinating!

The other big problem is that quite often a phone call STARTS with what is essentially texting, as they either dig through menus or pull up the non-tactile touchpad to start looking down and dialing in phone numbers. That is, after they dig through their purse to find the phone in the first place. If traffic ahead of them quickly comes to a stop, they are screwed and if they happen to stop in time or swerve to the side they generally cause an accident behind them since people can't see past their giant SUVs.

Whats that? I'm sexist? Well maybe its because I'm cranky with low blood sugar from sitting here all morning without a sandwich. *snaps fingers*
 
Ever since texting became popular, I hated the idea that others were texting while I was driving nearby. How dare they answer a text about whether they can attend Ms. Blah's birthday party at the risk of my life! Meanwhile, if I got a text, I would have to check if it was an emergency or if I had to just send one message to save time (of course, it was never just one).
Truth is, whenever that cell phone chimed to alert me to a text, I sercetly felt better about myself. I liked thinking that my existance was somehow more important than those around me. Of course, my life if not.
My solution was to buy a great smart phone without cell phone service. When I'm at work and at home I have WiFi. Most of the stores I frequent have free WiFi. If I need to make a call on the road, I pull over at one of the many places that have free WiFi.
If I need to call the police, 911 still works on my phone (due to federal legislation that was passed many years ago). On travel, I take a broadband-to-go device and load it data usage as I need it (about $10 for 10 days).
Problem solved. I have a great phone (Note 2), save lots of money, no communcation issues with my family or employer, and you can trust me if you are sharing the road with me.
I just don't know why other people haven't done this...
 
magoo said:
The point here is, if the woman's insurance company proves she was doing something illegal when she hit me,their responsibility is voided, my insurance will have to pay for her stupidity.
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Thats not true..they have to provide coverage no matter what....they are free to drop coverage after the fact, but not before settling any claims presented.

You could be drunk, suspended and driving on the sidewalk.....your insurance company has to pay for any damage you cause right up to the policy limits
 
aquabusa said:
Ever since texting became popular, I hated the idea that others were texting while I was driving nearby. How dare they answer a text about whether they can attend Ms. Blah's birthday party at the risk of my life! Meanwhile, if I got a text, I would have to check if it was an emergency or if I had to just send one message to save time (of course, it was never just one).
Truth is, whenever that cell phone chimed to alert me to a text, I sercetly felt better about myself. I liked thinking that my existance was somehow more important than those around me. Of course, my life if not.
My solution was to buy a great smart phone without cell phone service. When I'm at work and at home I have WiFi. Most of the stores I frequent have free WiFi. If I need to make a call on the road, I pull over at one of the many places that have free WiFi.
If I need to call the police, 911 still works on my phone (due to federal legislation that was passed many years ago). On travel, I take a broadband-to-go device and load it data usage as I need it (about $10 for 10 days).
Problem solved. I have a great phone (Note 2), save lots of money, no communcation issues with my family or employer, and you can trust me if you are sharing the road with me.
I just don't know why other people haven't done this...
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This is what I did. I bought an LG spectrum 2 off ebay for $128 shipped and just use google voice while on wifi. I really cant think of an emergency so important that you need to get ahold of me on any of my short commutes. Maybe for people that drive 100+ miles a day might be different.

I still think hands free in systems is less distracting then having to hold a phone. a lot of accidents probably occur when people drop their phone or trying to turn the one hand they are using to steer slips. Though I would support cell phone blocking technology in cars.
 
Crosshairs said:
Thats not true..they have to provide coverage no matter what....they are free to drop coverage after the fact, but not before settling any claims presented.

You could be drunk, suspended and driving on the sidewalk.....your insurance company has to pay for any damage you cause right up to the policy limits
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I'd have to check on that actually......accidents are one thing, making a bad decision in a driving situation (being at fault) is one thing.......but breaking the law while driving MAY be grounds to dismiss liability coverage. Or in other words the insurance company may pay out, but seek recovery from YOU.

That and I think your example is incorrect......

Now, I simply cannot believe what I am reading here.
People actually think it's OK to try and drive your car 60 mph down the road and take your eyes off the road to look at your phone and actually interact with it?
You simply have to read the recent statistics.......
a giant majority of accidents and DEATHS are now due to driving and cell phone use.....

To believe otherwise is ignorant, period.

The ONLY solution is that once you get in your car and turn on the ignition, the phone is inactivated, excepting for 911.
Most current models of in-car communication have 911 services, like On-Star anyway.
If you have an accident or run out of gas or get lost, you turn off the car and your cell is now operable.

Sure, you could argue that eating, drinking or smoking are also distractions, and to an extreme talking to your passanger; but the current statistics don't lie.

As well, how many people do you know who ever fell down steps, or ran into another pedestrian or headed a sign post while simply walking down the street? How many idiots have you seen do those same things while texting and walking? Now try it in your 5000 pound car going 60 mph.
 
Term-X said:
While directly handling a phone is part of the issue, I just tend to think a lot of people out there can't multi-task at all while driving, much less drive properly. So holding a conversation that requires thought will be just as bad.
Click to expand...

I notice this with my dad, he starts driving like my half-blind grandfather the second his phone rings...
Luckly he would never text while he drives...
 
First off, this isn't anything new as SYNC has had this feature for years.

Qinsp said:
If we changed our basic traffic law concept to a model where "accidents" don't exist, you would not need cell phone laws.

ie - Unless there was a proven mechanical cause that was unforeseeable, when you hit something with your car, you've committed a crime and will be prosecuted.

There are very few "accidents". If you go to jail for a minimum of 30 days for hitting anything with your car, attitudes will change, and insurance will be cheaper.
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While I generally agree with your concept, but I think you know that it's overly broad.

I would opt for something like Germany's "unlimited" autobahn speed law. It hasn't been truly unlimited for a long time, rather if you exceed 130 KMh, you accept all responsibility for any accidents you're involved in even if it wasn't "your fault". By exceeding the limit you're accepting that liability.

If you take that idea and apply it to calls or txt messaging, then the law would be something like "Vehicle operator accepts all liability for incidents that happen x minutes before and after said interaction."

Don't worry it won't happen in the USA, the lobbyists will see to that, because "freedom" trumps "responsibility"
 
webdev511 said:
First off, this isn't anything new as SYNC has had this feature for years.

Don't worry it won't happen in the USA, the lobbyists will see to that, because "freedom" trumps "responsibility"
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No.......plantiffs lawyers trump individual responsibility......the culture of blame.....it's ALWAYS someone else's fault and goddammit, we'll sue your ass to prove it.:eek:
 
magoo said:
Two things:

My Ford Explorer has SYNC, text to voice is just one of it's features.

Second, I was rear ended this week by a woman who was trying to talk on her phone and drive at the same time.
My 6 month old car has about three thousand dollars of damage to the rear end.

I'm not buying the point that people aren't more distracted now days.
The point here is, if the woman's insurance company proves she was doing something illegal when she hit me,their responsibility is voided, my insurance will have to pay for her stupidity.
Click to expand...

First off sorry to hear about the misfortune -- i hate people like that, so absorbed and distracted while operating a 3000lb missile.

Secondly -- it's our jacked up world of retarded laws that make things like this possible. She's at fault no matter what is said or done or proven, if the insurance company is magically off the hook it should be legal to instantly confiscate her car, sell it, take out money to make your situation whole and then whatever (if any) is left she gets to keep. If she has negative equity, then it should be legal to beat her ass till you feel you have gotten 3000 dollars worth out of her, then put a garnishment on any income. I'm not joking either, the fear of pain and physical injury is a great motivator. The fact our society has set itself up such that you can mow down a group of kids or murder a family out on a picnic and suffer ZERO physical punishment just shows how soft we have become.

If you knew that someone could legally curb stomp you if you wrecked their car and couldn't pay, there is a huge increase in probability that you will be more careful behind the wheel.
 
Maybe somone should contact Cheby and tell them that handsfree bluetooth has been out for quite some time now....
 
Disposed said:
Chevy is always behind in tech features.
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Ha.

My 10 year old truck has hands free cell service, voice recognition, and automatic 911 calling in an accident.

It has 7 computers that network together to optimize everything from the fuel economy to driver's comfort.

After >100k miles, it's never had an issue with the digital network.
 
Want to know why the Japanese, German, and Italian cars got their asses kicked by the 50 year old pushrod V8 starting in the late 90's?

Their digital controls couldn't meet emissions, or diagnose engine knock or misfire.

Today, they are caught up to where GM was in 1997. No, they haven't caught up with new stuff though.

Remember that GM was the first company to produce useful electric car, and I believe the first with full digital engine control.
 
11 years ago ...

Our stock Chevy got 29mpg at 70mpg highway on a round trip of 500 miles with two occupants. Measured top speed by GPS was 175mph but it was speed limited due to gear spacing, hit redline in 5th, and when you shifted to 6th it slowed. Quarter mile at California Speedway, with my wife at the stick (manual) was 11.95sec @ 117mph. It has 3 mode Active Handling with fly-by-wire. Weight 3080lb with a 1/4 tank on the day we bought it. Advertised HP was 405 ponies, but on a chassis dyno, it read 378 in 4th gear. 50/50 weight bias from a rear axle mounted trans. Digital HUD with programmable display. Programmable on board diagnostic OBDII display.

Sticker was $50k. It would trash most cars that cost 2-10 times as much. Brake rotors are $25, and you can adjust the entire suspension, all 4 wheels with a single 10mm wrench in minutes. Fiberglass suspension springs, titanium exhaust, and integral aluminum rollbar.

That was late 2001 tech at Chevy.
 
Qinsp said:
11 years ago ...

Our stock Chevy got 29mpg at 70mpg highway on a round trip of 500 miles with two occupants. Measured top speed by GPS was 175mph but it was speed limited due to gear spacing, hit redline in 5th, and when you shifted to 6th it slowed. Quarter mile at California Speedway, with my wife at the stick (manual) was 11.95sec @ 117mph. It has 3 mode Active Handling with fly-by-wire. Weight 3080lb with a 1/4 tank on the day we bought it. Advertised HP was 405 ponies, but on a chassis dyno, it read 378 in 4th gear. 50/50 weight bias from a rear axle mounted trans. Digital HUD with programmable display. Programmable on board diagnostic OBDII display.

Sticker was $50k. It would trash most cars that cost 2-10 times as much. Brake rotors are $25, and you can adjust the entire suspension, all 4 wheels with a single 10mm wrench in minutes. Fiberglass suspension springs, titanium exhaust, and integral aluminum rollbar.

That was late 2001 tech at Chevy.
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Sounds like a 2001 Z06 Vette. The 2014 Vette blows it away in every performance figure you can think of, and is rated 30mpg on the 455hp 7-speed manual version and is safer, cleaner, nicer inside and handles better than ever.

Gotta compare apples to apples though.
 
Ducman69 said:
Sounds like a 2001 Z06 Vette. The 2014 Vette blows it away in every performance figure you can think of, and is rated 30mpg on the 455hp 7-speed manual version and is safer, cleaner, nicer inside and handles better than ever.

Gotta compare apples to apples though.
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Just trying to bust a modern misconception that Chevy is behind the curve in technology.

The 2001 was badged at 385, the 2002 was 405, but started selling in late 2001.

They make that V8 rumble and roar, and they lope at idle with their big heads and lumpy roller cams. Everything you liked about 60's muscle, just better behaved.
 
Qinsp said:
11 years ago ...

Our stock Chevy got 29mpg at 70mpg highway on a round trip of 500 miles with two occupants. Measured top speed by GPS was 175mph but it was speed limited due to gear spacing, hit redline in 5th, and when you shifted to 6th it slowed. Quarter mile at California Speedway, with my wife at the stick (manual) was 11.95sec @ 117mph. It has 3 mode Active Handling with fly-by-wire. Weight 3080lb with a 1/4 tank on the day we bought it. Advertised HP was 405 ponies, but on a chassis dyno, it read 378 in 4th gear. 50/50 weight bias from a rear axle mounted trans. Digital HUD with programmable display. Programmable on board diagnostic OBDII display.

Sticker was $50k. It would trash most cars that cost 2-10 times as much. Brake rotors are $25, and you can adjust the entire suspension, all 4 wheels with a single 10mm wrench in minutes. Fiberglass suspension springs, titanium exhaust, and integral aluminum rollbar.

That was late 2001 tech at Chevy.
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Corvettes have always been at the top of the GM pack even going back 50 years. I love vettes, but you do still have to remember that they're "cheap" sportscars because corners were cut in many places. Not in the places that matter to people who like that sort of car, which is why they are such a great deal, but definitely not as refined as some of the more expensive sportcars in the same class, GM didn't do any magic to make it cheap, they made it cheap by making it cheap :p

Funnily, my friend has a 2001 Z06 vette and I have a 1971 LS5 vette, we joke about the poor GM engineering on both our cars and how many fail things GM managed to continue to fail at for the 30 years between his vette and mine.
 
Qinsp said:
They make that V8 rumble and roar, and they lope at idle with their big heads and lumpy roller cams. Everything you liked about 60's muscle, just better behaved.
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Not unless you modified it, all the LS1 vettes sound like kittens until you rev them out.
 
The roller cams in the Vettes have over .550" lift and 218° duration? They don't idle like a minivan.

Open up the exhaust. It was engineered to pass federal noise mandates. Once you put a cutout on them, they sound nasty.
 
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