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Blue Link Earns Engadget Best Automotive Electronics Product Award Nom

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Well, that certainly didn’t take long. As we related a few weeks back that Hyundai Blue Link® would be making its debut at PepCom’s Digital Experience before the beginning of this week’s International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Monday. On Wednesday, Hyundai announced that Blue Link is a finalist for Engadget’s 2014 Best Automotive Electronics Product award.

Best Automotive Electronics Product Award Nominee

Blue Link from Hyundai

A number of enhancements made to increase the quality of Blue Link’s next generation were determining factors in Hyundai earning a nomination. Improvements to the technology include:

  • Destination Search (Powered by Google) – By using the Blue Link voice recognition feature and navigation display, www.myhundai.com, or the Blue Link mobile app, drivers can utilize the all-powerful Google destination search function to seamlessly send destination and directions to their Hyundai vehicle.
  • Remote Start- Hyundai has added an engine timer, which can cap how long your vehicle is allowed to run on its own (between 1-10 minutes), remote stop, remote climate control, and remote defroster.
  • Automatic Collision Notification (ACN) and SOS Emergency Assistance – Drivers will be allowed to select emergency contacts to be notified via SMS and e-mail in the event of a collision, insuring quicker response.

In Engadget’s hands-on experience, they lauded the next generation of Blue Link for its impressive interface and connectivity: “In the brief time we spent with Blue Link 2, we were impressed! It picked up on voice commands without a hitch, and was able to wirelessly connect to Google Places from within the confines of a Las Vegas hotel conference room.”

“It’s a breakthrough year in connected car technology and the new Blue Link cloud platform really is allowing Hyundai owners to connect with their car in innovative ways,” said Barry Ratzlaff, executive director, Customer Connect and Service Business Development, Hyundai Motor America, in a statement released Wednesday. “Blue Link is changing the Hyundai ownership experience in amazing ways and we’re honored that the editors of Engadget have recognized that by naming it a finalist at CES this year.”

Engadget.com users can also vote on their favorite gadgets from the 2014 CES at in their People’s Choice awards (open to voting until 8:00 pm EST on Thursday, January 9). Other nominees include the Oculus Rift “Crystal Cove” prototype, LG 77” Curved OLED, and Valve Steam Machines. Winners of the 2014 Best of CES Awards, as well as the 2014 Best Automotive Electronics Product award, will be announced later tonight. Stay tuned to The News Wheel for the results!