Parrot Asteroid head unit tested

Price: £299.99
Contact: 0844 4722360, www.parrot.com/uk

Get your own personal DJ in your car. The new Parrot Asteroid head unit provides voice control over digital music. Plus, as you’d expect from the hands-free expert, phone calls relayed through it are among the best quality we’ve ever experienced from an in-car stereo.

The voice-activated search works best when your iPod is plugged in. Simply click the speech button and say the name of an artist; the unit will find them, an album or a song. This means you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to scroll down the list manually.

A large dial to the left of the screen makes navigating through the menus simple, and a range of apps is about to be launched – including maps and Internet radio.

But we couldn’t tether to our smartphone's data connection to access these; you’ll need a 3G dongle plugged into one of the many rear USB ports. We’d expect digital radio for the £300 price, too, although the maker reckons Internet stations are the way forward.

Verdict

Rating: ★★★
What is it?
A replacement stereo for your car that has voice-activated functionality for you to choose music.
Problems?
No DAB radio, we couldn’t tether to our smartphone's Internet connection, requires 3G.
Why buy?
Clever Android interface, really simple to use, voice search works well, Bluetooth hands-free included.