Subaru showed off StarLink at CES 2013, a package combining Internet radio and search with Aha integration, and driver assistance features from its EyeSight system.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
LAS VEGAS--Subaru's new StarLink system, launching on the 2013 Outback and Legacy and the 2014 Forester, combines Aha connected infotainment services integrated into the dashboard with EyeSight driver-assistance features. Subaru demonstrated the new technologies at CES 2013 in this Legacy model.
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Aha includes 30,000 channels, from music to news, to audio books, to destination searches. To use Aha in the Subaru, drivers must first load the app onto a smartphone and sign up for an account. With an Android device paired to the car through Bluetooth or an iOS device connected with a cable, drivers will be able to access their channels through their cars' interfaces. Whichever channels have been saved in Favorites on Aha will show up in the Favorites list in the car.
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The channel interface gives drivers the opportunity to give the content a thumbs up or thumbs down. For podcasts or other long-format shows, Aha will save its stop point so a listener can resume the show on a smartphone or other Aha-capable device. Aha also offers a Slacker channel for people that use the online music service.
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Aha currently offers two destination search services: restaurants and coffee shops. Selecting the Coffee category brings up a list of the nearest coffee shops in the direction the Subaru is traveling.
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Selecting an entry on the coffee shop list shows its Yelp rating and reads out a brief review.
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More useful, the driver can select the coffee shop as a destination for the navigation system, providing route guidance to the location.
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Subaru also bundles its EyeSight system in its StarLink package. This system uses two forward-looking cameras to gather images, which are then processed in the car. The imagery is used to enable adaptive cruise control, collision prevention up to 19 mph, collision mitigation at higher speeds, and lane departure warning. The image above shows how the EyeSight system sees the world.
