Gracenote Enhances Toyota Entune Music Experience

Gracenote Music Identification, Media Management and Enhanced Voice Recognition Make it Easier for Toyota Drivers to Access their Music from Connected Devices

Gracenote recognition technology is the foundation for everything music related in the car.

Gracenote technology, Cover Art and Music metadata provide safer and easier ways to navigate music collections.

Gracenote ® technology and music metadata help make it easier for Toyota drivers to enjoy and manage their digital music collection with Toyota Entune ™ - enabled multimedia systems. Entune, which in 2011 was given the “CNET Best of CES” award for Car tech, is a revolutionary new multimedia system that lets Toyota drivers and passengers use voice and touch commands to connect to popular apps and interact with their music on mobile devices.

The Entune – enabled system in select 2012 model year Toyota vehicles features Gracenote licensed Album cover Art, Playlist Plus™ and MediaVOCS® technologies. As such, when a driver’s iPod, smart phone or USB drive is connected inside the car, Gracenote Playlist Plus technology sees the artist and album names, which is meant to make it easier for drivers to navigate their music as well as their car.

Gracenote, in the release, gives an example for Angus Young fans of how the technology identifies names: inconsistent and conflicting artist spellings like “AC-DC,” “AC/DC” or “AC.DC” are not a problem.

Apart from all of this, Gracenote Playlist Plus also associates detailed Genre information (e.g. Indie Rock, Punk, Classic R&B and Ska), Origin (e.g. U.S. - New York, England – London), Era (e.g. 1970, 1980s) with the driver’s music collection, allowing them to automatically create similar music playlists spanning multiple genres.

“With digital music collections on smart phones and other connected devices now reaching into hundreds and even thousands of songs, it is critical to provide drivers a safe and easy way to interact with their music,” said Vadim Brenner, vice president of product at Gracenote. “The pairing of Gracenote’s technology and data intelligence with the innovative Entune multimedia system provides Toyota drivers a powerful in-car entertainment experience, where they can access and manage all of their music while keeping their attention on the road.”  

The company claims that Gracenote Global Media Database is the largest and most comprehensive music database in the world featuring music and video metadata and licensed cover art images.

Toyota Technology: It’s Out of This World!

Toyota cars, trucks and SUVs are out of this world, but you already knew that! But, what you may not know is that Toyota is providing the voice of a robot astronaut being launched into space!

The tiny tike, a 13.4-inch humanoid robot named Kirobo, is heading for the International Space Station to assist with the first human-robot conversation experiment in space. To gear up for the travels, Kirobo participated in safety and zero-gravity tests, and the hope is that through Kirobo, which was developed through the Kibo Robot Project, Toyota Motor Corp. will learn a lot about how to improve interactive conversation technology.

Toyota is no stranger to voice-recognition technology by any means! Currently, in-Toyota infotainment system Entune gives drivers and their passengers a phenomenal user experience—letting them connect seamlessly to popular mobile applications and data services accessible from your Toyota delivered via most smartphones using Bluetooth or a cellular data connection.

Recently, Nuance Communications, a heavy-hitting voice-recognition software company, signed an agreement to purchase Tweedle Connect, which is behind the acclaimed Entune. Nuance’s Dragon Drive automotive-grade voice-recognition platform is already is installed in many Toyota vehicles, providing cool features like voice dialing, navigation, business and music search, message dictation, temperature control—the list goes on! Once Tweedle Connect partners up with Nuance’s Dragon Drive, we're pretty sure the planetary night sky will be the limit on Toyota Entune’s capabilities! The earthlings here at Westboro Toyota also predict that in-car users will have an even more amazing experience—from personal assistance to having an even “smarter,” safer and connected vehicle.

And, this isn’t Toyota’s first time at the space rodeo, either! Awhile back the rugged, half-ton Toyota Tundra made history by pulling the Space Shuttle Endeavor to its new home at the California Science Center. That’s just another example of how Toyota embraces technology and the challenges that come with integrating successful products into our vehicles. Toyota engineers had to provide extensive tests to make sure Tundra had the towing capacity for NASA’s iconic monstrosity—which it did, of course, and voilà —Toyota, once again made history!

Do you have questions about how Toyota technology offers a better ride? Contact Westboro Toyota to discuss Entune and other cool Toyota features with an experienced sales professional. Right now, Westboro Toyota’s Summer Savings Event is going strong, and there are plenty of out-of-this-world pre-Fourth of July deals going on right now. Stop by to test drive a new Toyota and get a FREE $10 Exxon-Mobil gift card!

2013 Rav4 Raves: Get the 4-1-1 on This Magnificently Popular SUV Crossover!

Westboro Toyota loves the all-new 2013 Rav4,and it’s clear from recent reports that America has fallen in love with the newly styled SUV crossover, which features mad in-cabin technologies!

Right now, the next-generation 2013 Rav4 is leading the sales charge for the orginal crossover SUV that started what has become the fastest growing segment of the auto industry. We’re not surprised!

Toyota engineers toiled away to determine how to bring consumers like you just want they wanted and needed in a small SUV. And, the all-new 2013 Rav4 has it all:

• A dynamic exterior—check! The 2013 Rav4 features what Toyota eloquently describes as a progressive silhouette, with a sleek-sloping roofline.

• A contemporary flair—check! The 2013 Rav4, available in LE, XLE and Limited trim lines, is really agile and super fun to drive.

• Impressive in-cabin features like the available Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert—check! Stop by to test drive a new Rav4 today, so you can check out Sport Mode, which features Dynamic Torque Control AWD, enhancements in suspension performance and optimized electric power steering.

• A new rear liftgate with spare tire removal from the rear door—check! The Rav4 broke from tradition here, switching from its side-hinged rear door to a convenient roof-hinged liftgate with a space-saver spare tire stored under the cargo floor.

• Improved fuel efficiency, increased cargo capacity, eight standard airbags—check! With the 2013 Rav4’s new Eco mode, you get more efficient driving for maximum mpg—the RAV4 front-wheel drive models get an EPA-estimated fuel efficiency ratings of 24 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway, while all-wheel-drive models are EPA-estimated at 22 city/29 highway mpg.

• Tremendous value—check! The 2013 Rav4 features a standard Display Audio with a 6.1-inch touchscreen and an integrated backup camera, Eco and Sport modes and 60/40 split-folding and reclining rear seats.

Opt for the XLE or Limited grades, and you’ll enjoy dual-zone climate control. Plus, Toyota’s Entune™ multimedia system is also available on these trims.

Plus, the 2013 Rav4 Limited features a new adjustable power liftgate, Premium SofTex seating, power driver’s seat with memory, heated front seats and Smart Key system.

Right now Westboro Toyota’s Toyota Time sales event is going on through June 3, 2013, and that means you can get even more bang for the buck by buying or leasing a brand-new 2013 Rav4—we’re generally talking thousands of dollars off the MSRP in most cases!

Don't forget: Sign up to test drive the all-new 2013 Rav4 today and you'll get a $10 Exxon-Mobil gift card for free!

What are you waiting for? With the Toyota Time sales event upon us, now’s the perfect time to find out what all the buzz about the 2013 Rav4 is all about!

Get ‘Entune’ with Tremendous Deals on New Corollas!

Want to stream your favorite music, make a dinner reservation or buy movie tickets from your vehicle? With Entune™, a revolutionary technology, you can.

In a new video, Coach T gives one of popular peptalks on why one recruit should opt for a new Corolla with Entune that gives drivers mobile connectivity like never before.

Just download the Entune mobile app in connection with your mobile data plan and use Bluetooth or a USB cable to:

•            search for destinations in your area with the sound of your voice;

•            discover new restaurants and make dinner reservations courtesy of opentable.com;

•            get movie times and buy tickets instantly from movietickets.com;

•            listen to iheartradio, where, with 750 radio stations from which to choose, there’s always something good on the radio;

•            create your own radio station courtesy of Pandora based on your favorite artists and musical genres; and

•            check stock prices, get sports scores, find out where traffic trouble spots exist and discover the best deal on gas.

Right now, Westboro Toyota has got plenty of 2013 Toyota Corollas in stock. Buy a new Corolla LE for just $16,502 (model# 1838, stk#36806 & 36813). This is a 1.8 L, 4 cyl, 4-speed automatic that gets 27/34 mpg. Plus, you’ll get two years of complimentary maintenance with your purchase!