Selection system and method

1. A computer-implemented method executed on a computing device, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a verbal command, from a user, on a vehicle infotainment system, wherein the vehicle infotainment system is configured to interface with an external system;

wherein said verbal command is issued after a trigger phrase or word from the user;

after having received the verbal command, identifying a preferred system for executing the verbal command that was received from the user;

routing the verbal command to the preferred system;

determining a gender of a text-to-speech voice of the external system; and

setting a gender of a text-to-speech voice of the vehicle infotainment system based upon the gender of the text-to-speech voice of the external system,

wherein the preferred system is selected from the group consisting of the external system and a subsystem of the vehicle infotainment system.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the external system includes one or more of: a cellular telephone; a tablet computing device; a portable computing device; and a handheld entertainment device.

3. A manufacture comprising a non-transitory and tangible computer-readable medium having encoded thereon instructions for causing a vehicle infotainment system to carry a computer-implemented method that comprises:

receiving a verbal command, from a user, wherein said vehicle infotainment system is configured to interface with an external system, wherein said verbal command is issued after a trigger phrase or word from the user;

after having received the verbal command, identifying a preferred system for executing the verbal command that was received from the user:

routing the verbal command to the preferred system;

determining a gender of a text-to-speech voice of the external system, and

setting a gender of a text-to-speech voice of the vehicle infotainment system based upon the gender of a text-to-speech voice of the external system,

wherein the preferred system is selected from the group consisting of the external system and a subsystem of the vehicle infotainment system.

4. The manufacture of claim 3 , wherein the external system includes one or more of: a tablet computing device; and a portable computing device.

5. An apparatus comprising a vehicle infotainment system that includes a processor and a memory, said vehicle infotainment system being configured to interface with an external device and to execute the steps of:

receiving a first verbal command from a user following utterance of a trigger phrase or word by said user;

identifying said external system as a preferred system for executing said first verbal command;

routing said first verbal command to said external system,

receiving a second verbal command from a user following utterance of a trigger phrase or word by said user;

identifying a subsystem of said infotainment system as a preferred system for executing said second verbal command;

routing said second verbal command to said subsystem of said infotainment system;

determining a gender of the text-to-speech voice of the external system; and

setting a gender of the text-to-speech voice of the vehicle infotainment system based upon the gender of the text-to-speech voice of the external system.

6. The computing system of claim 5 , wherein the external system includes one or more of: a tablet computing device; a portable computing device; and a handheld entertainment device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the verbal command includes receiving a speech-signal representation of a command spoken by said user.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the preferred system comprises providing a verbal inquiry to the user and identifying the preferred system based at least in part upon a verbal response received from the user in response to the verbal inquiry.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the preferred system comprises providing the verbal command to both the vehicle infotainment system and the external system and determining the preferred system based at least in part on an audio response received by a system selected from the group consisting of the vehicle infotainment system and the external system.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing the verbal command to both the vehicle infotainment system and the external system and identifying the preferred system based, at least in part, upon a response received from one or more of the vehicle infotainment system and the external system.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the preferred system comprises identifying the preferred system based at least in part on a system preference associated with the verbal command, wherein different verbal commands have different system preferences.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the preferred system comprises identifying the preferred system based at least in part on a learned system preference associated with the verbal command, wherein different verbal commands have different system preferences.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the preferred system comprises identifying the preferred system based at least in part on an embedded system preference included within the verbal command.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the preferred system comprises identifying the preferred system based at least in part upon the existence of an active session with the vehicle infotainment system.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the preferred system comprises identifying the preferred system based at least in part upon the existence of an active session with the external system.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the preferred system comprises identifying the preferred system based at least in part on a user's verbal response received to a verbal inquiry that has been provided to the user.