JBL and Anker Introduce Car Kit for Google Assistant Integration in Car

JBL and Anker are both releasing a gadget with Google Assistant built in. The devices are plugged into a car’s cigarette lighter and can be connected to the driver’s smartphone and any Bluetooth system in the car.

Anker comes with the Roav Bolt, a device that features a noise-cancelling far-field microphone and Google’s voice recognition technology. The driver can use Google Assistant without taking his hands off the steering wheel. The Bolt is equipped with two USB ports that use Ankers PowerIQ technology, so that mobile devices can be charged relatively quickly.

The device can be used via Google Assistant, among other things, for playing music, making calls or navigating. A variant of the Roav Bolt with Amazon Alexa was previously available, in the form of the Roav Viva.

JBL comes with a similar device that is also equipped with bluetooth and must be plugged into the 12V socket in the car. Unlike the Roav Bolt, this Link Drive does not have connections to charge a mobile device. According to JBL, the microphones in this device are able to filter out ambient noise such as traffic noise and wind and only pick up the driver’s voice.

Both devices can be connected to the speakers in the car via the aux connection or bluetooth, so that the volume of playing music can be muted via a voice command. The Roav Bolt costs $50, while JBL’s Link Drive costs $60.

On the left the JBL Link Drive and next to it the Roav Bolt.