CES 16: Voice-Control Your Volvo XC90 With Microsoft Band 2 Smartwatch App

Jennifer van der Kleut

Practice your best “I’m Batman” voice - because a new partnership announcement made at CES 2016 this week is going to make you feel just like him.

Microsoft and Volvo are partnering up to offer voice-control for your car. Through the Microsoft Band 2 smartwatch-which costs $249 for consumers-2016 Volvo XC90 owners will be able to use a set of specific voice commands to do things like control the climate, navigation and starting of their cars through the “Volvo On Call” app, report news outlets like the New York Daily News and AutoBlog.

For example, on a chilly winter morning the owner of a 2016 XC90, from the warm comfort of the inside of their home, can command their Band 2 to fire up the car, blast the heat, turn on the infotainment system, and enter a destination into the navigator.

The New York Daily News reports that the technology will be available to consumers within months. It will debut on the Microsoft Band 2 first, but many expect it will be available on other wearable devices like the Apple Watch and its Android counterpart, Galaxy Gear, in the near future, based on the popularity of those devices.

Volvo has released a short video that shows the technology in action. Watch it here.