Future Ford SYNC upgrade could include Pandora streaming
by Damon Lavrinc on May 18th 2009 at 7:27PM 
Click the image above to view a video of the new SYNC system after the jump
At the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Ford announced that three new features would be included on the next iteration of the SYNC system: traffic data, GPS-guided directions and the ability to snag information from the web through the user's data/GPS/Bluetooth-enabled smartphone to display or read weather conditions, sports scores and other information through the stereo.
On May 26th, the upgrade will be made available to all current 2010 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury owners (you download the update to your PC, then transfer it to the SYNC system through a thumb drive) and all new 2010 models will be equipped with the upgrade from the factory. But as Ford CEO Alan Mulally promised, there's more on the way.
Ford and Microsoft plan to continually update SYNC, and according to Charlotte Fisher from Ford's Design and Technology team, "every six to eight to twelve months we'll be delivering new services." One of the possible features Ford could include on future iterations of SYNC is streaming internet radio, and Fisher confirmed that Ford is currently "talking with Pandora." Can you say XM-killer? Hit the jump to watch a video of the new system in action.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Quantumphysics 7:31PM (5/18/2009)
If you connect your iPhone directly to your car's stereo, you can stream from Pandora or AOL radio to the car. But personally, despite I have a 3G iPhone, a car with a 6 disk changer that also reads MP3's, I'm content just listening to 1 MP3 CD at a time for the time being.
Im not interested in paying for XM.
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Ruben 7:57PM (5/18/2009)
I don't think anyone is interested in paying for XM anymore.
And having control of your music streaming from your radio lets you use your steering wheel controls and integrate it nicely with your deck.
Having to look at your cell phone to switch stations is kind of a pain in the ass, and soon in Ontario, can cost $500 if you get caught.
mnemonicj 8:21PM (5/18/2009)
If you have one of many Nokia phones (including the N95) with Bluetooth streaming you can stream Pandora, Last.fm, etc. from 3G data through the A2DP Bluetooth connection from your phone to your stereo without having to make a physical connection.
Six mp3 discs isn't enough for me. My Nissan has an mp3 six disc changer, but I always find myself wanting to listen to music that isn't on a disc in the car. Since my Nissan has Bluetooh, but doesn't have A2DP, I am stuck with using the Aux jack to play mp3s from my phone. But, at least I get 16 GB on my microSD card to store the music. Or, I can always listen to Last.fm.
CJ 7:37PM (5/18/2009)
As a Sirius-XM stockholder, this worries me. As a techno-junkie, this sounds awesome!
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jg 9:06PM (5/18/2009)
Sell?
paul34 10:02PM (5/18/2009)
Whoa, wait. Why in the world would you be holding Sirius/XM stock?
Ackbar 11:58PM (5/18/2009)
Probably because their stock is up 700% in just the last few months.
SilverAero 7:42PM (5/18/2009)
That's brilliant
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Khanh 7:51PM (5/18/2009)
I will totally consider a Ford product (Ford Fiesta!) if they include Pandora! And if they do, at least they should include a 'Like/Dislike' button too. Way to go Ford!
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MGBYG 10:10AM (5/19/2009)
What if Ford, and others, could come up with a "Don't play for a month" button on my car payment...visa, mortgage, tuition...
Khanh 7:58PM (5/19/2009)
I say, the more it is like the Pandora browser that I know and love that I use on my computer, then the better! It'll be a win-win situation for Ford because I'll be happy with my Fiesta, and the money I paid for it goes to them.
bill 8:56PM (5/18/2009)
Im not interested in all that stuff....I just want to know who that chick is in the top photo that is wearing that short little come spank me dress.
Then we can talk about Bluetooth.
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sitruc 9:11PM (5/18/2009)
Has anyone tried to hack Sync?
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Greg 9:45PM (5/18/2009)
Great! Now you can listen to the same 4 songs on road trips.
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Jim 9:49PM (5/18/2009)
"Has anyone tried to hack Sync?"
AFAIK the images are signed and encrypted, so good luck. bonus points if you can do it with an old Powerbook 5300.
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JDM Life 9:59PM (5/18/2009)
Best thing from Ford ?
Kinda cool how you get all that including the NAV, all without a screen
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Mehdi Cheddadi 10:19PM (5/18/2009)
that girl is cute
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Randy 11:28PM (5/18/2009)
Wow! That system is awesome!
This system is END GAME for so many competitors!
So cool...
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sk 6:58AM (5/19/2009)
But you know its made by Microsoft and the exclusive contract with Ford is soon to expire.
psu48187 11:28AM (5/19/2009)
@ sk: Actually SK that exclusive contract was up a while ago. Hyundai/Kia has been working on their version of SYNC for quite some time and will roll it out on 2010 models (so I've read).
Having said that, the enhancements that Ford has made ..... 9-1-1 Assist, Turn-by-Turn Nav, Vehicle Health Reports, etc are Ford specific. So while Hyundai will have access to the OS per say, the two systems will not be the same.