Gadgets: Apple CarPlay not perfect but functional

A few years back, Apple introduced CarPlay, which brings some of the iPhone's apps onto a vehicle's touch screen for use while driving.

If you connect an iPhone or iPad to the system with a USB cable, a CarPlay icon appears on the screen.

When launching CarPlay, tested for this review in the 2016 GMC Sierra, the screen displays the familiar iOS icons for phone, music, maps, messages, podcasts, audiobooks and other items.

CarPlay will display all the apps on your iOS device that are compatible, which for me included MLB At Bat, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn and Spotify. The music icon played both my local music on the iPhone and Apple Music.

Siri integration is a big part of CarPlay. Touching the phone or messages app brought up Siri to ask you whom you'd like to call or message. You dictate the caller information or message so you can keep your hands on the wheel. All the phone functions, including recent calls, contacts and voice mail, are available.

The Siri dictation worked pretty well, but it wasn't perfect.

The Apple Maps navigation was a bit better than Sierra's built-in GPS system.

The Marvel Comics app is a handy way to enjoy your favorite series or to catch up on things you might have missed. You can download comics directly to your device and archive them in the cloud if you run low on storage. Having all those comics on hand is great for commutes, or those unexpected idle moments. Comics stay organized based on series, or you can see what you've recently bought and downloaded. When it comes to reading, you can look at each page or go into a mode that lets you move panel by panel.

This isn't necessarily the best comics-reading app out there — you're obviously limited to Marvel comics, specifically ones you have purchased. And although it's nice to be hooked into the store directly, it can be a problem if you want to keep impulse shopping in check. Those comics don't come cheap, after all. But if you are a Marvel fan looking for a good way to keep your reading organized, it's an excellent option.