Review: Parrot Asteroid SMART

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla 

The advent of the connected car is upon us. Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Open Automotive Alliance are both major platforms that integrate existing smartphone technology with in-car entertainment, navigation, Internet access and even applications.

While Apple and Google’s play for motoring meets mobile is only starting to take shape, Parrot’s been a long time proponent of melding smartphone technology and apps with existing cars. I had the opportunity to exchange my 2003 VW Jetta’s stock sound system (an 8 speaker setup with a 200w Monsoon amplifier) with the latest Parrot Asteroid Smart.

There was a time when we didn't have touchscreens but we had lots of knobs and buttons.

The Jetta’s sound system served me well for years, it had buttons and knobs in all the right places, worked reliably and anyone could figure it out.

It was also quite obsolete. It had a cassette deck, which I never used, and while I do still enjoy CDs, it makes way more sense to load a bunch of digital music files for a long drive.

Last year, I opted for a third party dongle that added line-in functionality which could be inserted into any headphone jack.

While this workaround allowed me to play music from various sources, it was kludgy at best and  the connection was quite flimsy and offered no control. It was so bad that I rarely used it.

The Parrot Asteroid Smart, which was installed by the technician at AutoMotion in North York, looked like the perfect solution and upgrade to my in car entertainment, connectivity, navigation and handsfree communication needs.

Since my old stereo was a dual-din model, swapping in the Asteroid Smart wasn’t going to be that complicated. There was no need for a special harness or overly complicated wiring. After an hour and a half, it was like I had a whole new car.

The Parrot Asteroid Smart, which runs a forked version of Google’s Android OS, integrates Bluetooth access, various audio and device inputs, navigation apps as well as the ability to use connected smartphones or USB Internet sticks to enable apps or navigation. It even manages video playback on rear-mounted LCD screens as well as rear cameras.

It can be connected to two devices simultaneously via Bluetooth and I've connected various iPhones, an HTC One M8, a Nokia Lumia 1020 as well as a Palm Pre 3 to it without any issue.

To be quite honest, my car didn’t need half the features that the Parrot Asteroid Smart offered, but I was excited to finally have a built in satnav, audio options, Bluetooth access as well as various ways to enjoy music on my older vehicle. In terms of security, you can pop out the power button which comes out looking like a slim crystal, something out of Superman's temple of solitude.

The interface of the Parrot Asteroid Smart is very similar to older Android smartphones and tablets, the good news is that it is fast and responsive to touch and has various intuitive features that make it a natural conduit to run and control whatever you need at the time. I had to enable a firmware update, which I did by downloading the software on a USB stick and running the update sequence via the touchscreen.

Car Audio

 

For music, I was amazed at how the Parrot Asteroid Smart integrated with my 8-speaker sound system. My car’s sound system has never sounded better, built-in settings study the car’s interior (perhaps using the built-in microphones) and optimize audio for the best possible sound.

I was soon drowning in the synth-soaked sound of Van Halen’s 1984, rediscovering genius of Michael Jackson through his Xscape album, and grooving to various playlists I’ve collected through the years which were all on a USB stick. 

Plugging in my iPhone enabled quick access to the music and even the album art on the device plus the controls were all on screen now. It’s great that I can mute any audio that’s playing by simply tapping on the screen and increase or decrease volume simply by swiping up or down.

Playing from FM radio was equally satisfying with station and song information on tap as well as a quick way to scan and search for stations. Really a far cry from my VW's circa 2002 'Premium Sound System.'

Handsfree Calling

As a rule of thumb, I never take calls while I am driving. It is just too risky and a split second of fumbling for the phone can spell disaster, I've seen it happen too many times. 

Having handsfree integrated into the sound system and easily accessing controls does make a difference. Even when I am parked, I can now dial directly on the touchscreen of the Parrot Asteroid SMART or look up contacts.

It is as an extension for your smartphone that the Parrot Asteroid Smart really shines. Once it syncs with your device, it can access your contact list and you can even see the person’s picture on the screen when they call. The built-in microphones are relatively good in terms of sound quality and parties on the other end hear you loud and clear. 

The issue with those same microphones is that they’re delicate, and since they’re stuck on your windshield using adhesive, they have the annoying habit of falling off if it gets hot outside. A more stable solution, maybe one that’s permanently inserted into the headliner, would have been better.

Navigation

 

Moving on to the navigation, the iGo app comes standard and the mapping information in placed in the SDCard slot in the front of the device. iGo is as good as the navigation programs that come stock on most vehicles, meaning that it isn’t great. This is specially true if you’re used to Google Maps or even TomTom’s standalone solutions. That said, it was fairly usable in and around Toronto and the GTA although I did experience a few challenges with the interface.

For one thing, typing in destinations or doing searches just isn’t intuitive with iGo. Then there’s also the laggy instructions that sometimes come a beat too late when you’re on the highway, making it easy to miss an intersection.

iGo can tell what the speed limit is where you are, which is helpful,  but it nags you each time you cross the limit with a voice alert. Thankfully, there is a way to silence these alerts.  Buying an app like TomTom for the Parrot Asteroid would be a better way to go, or you can just use your smartphone to navigate.

Internet

Parrot Asteroid Smart can access the Internet via WiFi or through a connected smartphone. This means you can actually go on Facebook or use any of the various apps that is available in Asteroid’s bespoke app store.

Internet access is necessary for improved navigation, specially for traffic data or apps like Waze. It might also be helpful for quick Google searches or for checking into apps like Facebook.

Although, quite honestly, you might be better off doing all the above on your smartphone. First of all, your smartphone probably runs a full-version of whatever OS it has, and should have all the functionality of the latest apps available.

You also want to avoid having to type and read on that screen, even if you’re not the driver. In the case of my Jetta, the Parrot Asteroid is located below the climate control vents and is low on the console, you need to look down to work with it.

 

That said, having built-in WiFi does come in handy if you’re parked near a hotspot and need to quickly download an app.

Conclusion

 

It may not be perfect, but the Parrot Asteroid Smart is a great add on to any car that needs integrated audio, handsfree calling via Bluetooth, navigation and smartphone-like functionality.

It plays well with existing speakers and hardware, it does a great job of handling audio files from various devices, USB sticks and smartphones, plus it does a generally good job for navigation depending on the app you use.

I found that it added various options and great value to my older vehicle, improved the quality and balance of my sound system tremendously and made it possible to safely take phone calls while parked.

The hardware is top notch and the software continues to be improved on a regular basis, this makes the Parrot Asteroid Smart a viable integrated in-car solution for users today.

Rating: 4 out of  5