The key advantages of our Parrot Asteroid range

We stock a huge range of equipment and technology here at Car Communications, including Bluetooth car kits, hands free car kits and DAB radio car adaptors. We find that a brand that tends to be particularly popular with our customers is our Parrot Asteroid range of devices. If you’re not familiar with what they are or how they can help, you should find all the answers you’re looking for right here in this post!

What is Parrot Asteroid?

Essentially, it’s a new type of in-car receiver that combines a modern car stereo, bluetooth connectivity, and the functionality of an Android tablet. In fact, Parrot isn’t directly associated with any car manufacturers or brands, but is instead one of only a handful of aftermarket companies who deliver high tech entertainment directly to consumers. In the words of its developers, the Parrot Asteroid is designed to be the all in one system for everyone, giving you a wide range of features and applications to make driving easier and more pleasant.

Benefits of the Parrot Asteroid

There are a range of advantages to the Parrot Asteroid. In short, it brings together all the best things about the best handsfree car kits and smartphone elements, all in one handy package.

As you’d expect from a handsfree car kit, everything of the Parrot Asteroid is geared towards safety. When it comes to travelling in cars, convenience isn’t just a nice bonus - accessibility and convenience are directly tied to safety. Steering wheel controls and voice activation, for example, not only make things more pleasant for you, but cut down on the amount of time you spend staring at a screen, so making you safer on the roads.

There’s an impressive amount of functionality packed into Parrot devices. Compared to the relatively stripped-down nature of traditional devices, you can use lots of your favourite apps on the move (the ones that are safe to do so, of course), which can quickly end up making life a lot easier, cutting down on your journey time or simply making it less tedious and therefore more enjoyable.

By the same token, everyone drives differently, and at various different levels. While their highly versatile nature means that Parrot devices boast a great range of functionality from the off, they also come with extensive customisation options, which you to get the very most out of them. In a nutshell, you can personalise them further with your favourite applications, making your everyday drive easier, more fun or more pleasant - or even all three!

Main features of the Parrot Asteroid

There’s no shortage of benefits of the Parrot Asteroid. They can broadly be defined into three categories - communication, extra functionality, and accessibility.

• Handsfree bluetooth

• Phonebook

• Colour touchscreen

One of the key features of the Asteroid is also one of the most vital - it gives you handsfree operation of your phone so that you can safely and legally make and receive calls in your car without needing a separate handsfree car kit. However, it gets even better - it also synchronises your phonebook from your phone so that you can quickly and easily find a name and number without having to look at your phone. (This is much safer for calling!) The colour touch screen also helps in this regard, making it highly accessible. A quick glance can tell you who’s calling you by their picture, or you and your passengers can search for a song quickly and easily. What’s more, the screen is also removable for additional security and peace of mind.

Fantastic extra functionality

• Multimedia receiver

• Internet connectivity

• Wide range of web apps available

Certain models can be particularly helpful in this regard. The Parrot Asteroid Smart, for example, is a multimedia receiver. This means that as well as Sat Nav and Bluetooth handsfree connectivity, you can also play your choice of music in the car - whether you want to listen to digital radio, your iPod or other music player - even MP3s from an SD card.

One of the most exciting things about the Parrot Asteroid range is the fact that it runs on the Android operating system. As we’ve touched on above, that means it’s extremely versatile, and you’ll find your favourite Android apps, such as Spotify and Tunein Radio, as well as navigation and fuel finder apps too. (You need never get lost or run out of fuel again!) Android app developers are discovering just how useful the Parrot Asteroid will be for drivers and passengers, so are looking at ways for their apps to provide more assistance and entertainment.

This base of the Android operating system also allows the extensive customisation options stem on the Parrot Asteroid Smart. You can customise your Parrot Asteroid Smart with applications with regard to weather, email and more, access the internet and navigate directly to your destination. With a 3G dongle in the USB port, or by sharing your smartphone’s internet connection, you can have full internet access from your Parrot Asteroid. This allows you to download new apps, stream music or get live updates from your weather or traffic apps, and much more. It also means that while you’ve stopped at a service station, it can allow you to conduct some business ‘on the move’ (but - and we stress this - not actually while moving).

Accessibility

• Voice activation

• Steering wheel controls

As it’s voice activated, you can control your Parrot Android without having to take your hands off the steering wheel. This means you can concentrate on the important task of driving, rather than looking at the screen when you want to call home or the office, or want to listen to your favourite songs.

For your convenience, you can also use your Parrot Asteroid with your existing steering wheel audio controls, adding another valuable layer of accessibility to an already highly accessible device. This allows you to change the volume or the station without having to move your hands from the wheel, just in case. Particularly handy if you have passengers!

Of course, Parrot devices make up just one of a number of brands in our massive range of car communications equipment right here at Car Communications, so that you’ve got no shortage of options when it comes to imbuing your car with an extra layer of functionality. Feel free to shop our extensive range of bluetooth handsfree kits, as well as other helpful devices like rear view camera kits, or alternatively give us a call on 01254 694537, and we’ll be happy to see how we can help!