microsoft


Microsoft teams up with automakers for Windows 7 theme packs

Microsoft has been in the car business for years, supplying specialized infotainment systems to automakers like Ford and Fiat. But the door swings both ways as a handful of automakers have released special theme packages for the new Windows 7 operating system. So far Infiniti, Porsche, Ferrari and Ducati have all created custom themes for Windows 7, including desktop wallpapers, slide shows, screen savers and color schemes. Of course, automakers aren't the only companies taking part, with themes also available from Coca-Cola and Pepsi, ... Read more →

BREAKING: Hyundai developing competitor for OnStar, Sync... but new system needs a name Chris Paukert

As part of its product and marketing development process, Hyundai has reached out to owners and enthusiasts to create a network of consumers with which to discuss everything from future models ...

VIDEO: Microsoft may one-up Google Street View with virtual video drives Jonathon Ramsey

Until cars drive themselves and we absolutely can't get lost, automakers and sat nav companies are steadily enhancing the graphics of navigation systems to make it easier to find the next right ...

VIDEO: The future of car configurators, brought to you on Microsoft Surface Jonathon Ramsey

Microsoft Surface is, at its most basic, a table-sized touchscreen computer. You can play with them at rather select locations, but we haven't yet begun to see what the thing can do because there ...

SYNC You Very Much: Ford to help Microsoft promote Windows 7 Jeremy Korzeniewski

Ford and Microsoft, sittin' in a tree... right, you know the rest. With the official October 22nd launch of Windows 7 right around the corner, the Blue Oval has reportedly pledged to support the ...

Microsoft CEO gets 1,000,000th Ford with SYNC 5 months ago on Autoblog

Ford and SYNC have combined to be the peanut butter and jelly of automotive tech combo deals. 80% of the vehicles Ford sells now has the infotainment system, helping the Blue Oval and Microsoft reach 1 million sales of the infotainment system in less than two years. Since Microsoft created the ...

REPORT: Bill Gates files patent for electromagnetic generator, plasma injector 7 months ago on Autoblog

What's this? A Mr. William H. Gates, III, (that would be Bill Gates of Microsoft fame, of course) is listed as one of the inventors on a recent patent application for an "Electromagnetic engine." What's that mean? According to the filing at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the contraption ...

Microsoft Auto 4.0 to take over stereo entirely 8 months ago on Autoblog

Infotainment systems have taken off over the past couple of years, and Microsoft is looking to keep the momentum going with an upgrade to its Microsoft Auto software. Version 4.0 will add the ability to control a vehicle's entire stereo as well as its communication system. This way, only one piece ...

CES 2009: SYNC updated with Traffic, Directions and Information 10 months ago on Autoblog

Ford and Microsoft debuted SYNC at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, updated the system at last year's event and now keep the tradition alive with more enhancements for 2009. The next iteration of SYNC will sport new features able to take full advantage of a user's GPS-enabled bluetooth ...

VIDEO: First footage of BMW Product Navigator using Microsoft Surface 11 months ago on Autoblog

We can think of worse things to do than spend a day at a BMW dealership configuring the vehicle of our choice. To make the experience of selecting the Ultimate Driving Machine even more engaging, BMW and Microsoft have teamed up on futuristic touchscreen tech. BMW's Product Navigator is like the ...

Hyundai/Kia teams up with Microsoft on in-car infortainment 1 year ago on Autoblog

Ford won't be the only automaker in the U.S. to have Microsoft technology underhood for long, as Hyundai has hooked up with the software giant on new infotainment technology partnership. The first new jointly produced system will provide voice-controlled connectivity between mobile devices for ...

Microsoft getting into the car WiFi biz 1 year ago on Autoblog

The Internet has been invading every aspect of our lives, but until recently most of us have gone without a connection to the World Wide Web inside our cars. That's changing with third party companies and OEMs beginning to offer 3G WiFi solutions for automobiles, and Microsoft says it's working on ...

Tech avalanche: Microsoft goes big for automotive 1 year ago on Autoblog

The rapidly shrinking US auto market has left automakers scrambling for any way to differentiate their products from the competition, and the fastest way to get the job done is with technology. Microsoft is all too aware of this, and the tech giant is betting big on automotive to give itself a ...

Hyundai, Kia to get version of Microsoft's in-car connectivity 1 year ago on Autoblog

While Ford has enjoyed a year of exclusivity with its SYNC-branded version of Microsoft's in-car connectivity technology, the Redmond-based company has been itching to expand the availability of its in-car gadget integration system to other marques. According to the AP, the first post-Ford carmakers ...

Microsoft launches new Clearflow traffic avoidance system 1 year ago on Autoblog

Eric Horvitz is the president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, as well as being an AI researcher at Microsoft. When stuck in traffic one day in Seattle, he asked his nav system to reroute him via side streets, and the result was worse than being stuck on the ...

Microsoft sees in-car advertising coming 1 year ago on Autoblog

Ford's SYNC system is winning friends left and right, with CNET giving it the nod as Coolest New Car Tech and The Detroit News calling it "the best $395 option of 2007". Sales of the Ford Focus, in which the system debuted, are up 22.5% this year, despite the car's iffy redesign. According to Ford, ...

CES 2008: Bill Gates announces SYNC 2.0 1 year ago on Autoblog

var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/microsoft/Bill_Gates_announces_SYNC_2_0'; SYNC appears to be a big win so far for Ford, with the communications technology helping to move vehicles off dealer lots faster than vehicles without the system. Ford and Microsoft have been working to take SYNC to ...

Popular Mechanics honors Ford's SYNC 2 years ago on Autoblog

Popular Mechanics is handing out its breakthrough awards, and Ford's SYNC made its way into the tech magazine's top 10 breakthrough products. SYNC's reasonable $395 price tag and voice recognition capability gave Ford and Microsoft's joint project the edge, and Popular Mechanics also really liked ...

Microsoft and Siemens partner for in-car entertainment system 2 years ago on Autoblog

Siemens and Microsoft have announced a joint partnership to develop the next generation of in-car entertainment and sat-nav products, which, much like the Ford/Microsoft Sync system, will allow users to connect everything from mobile phones to media players. Recognizing that standalone audio ...

Greatest video game accessory EVAR 2 years ago on Autoblog

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Greatest_video_game_accessory_EVAR'; Home racing games have come a long way since Pole Position, with controllers providing feedback to virtual drivers, while true to life graphics and vehicle driving dynamics making the action feel much more real. ...

Ford lets you Sync for just $395 2 years ago on Autoblog

Every now and then carmakers come out with gadgets that actually make life a little easier, but then charge the world for it. Not Ford, as its new Sync voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system can be optioned at a relatively low $395, or you can get it completely free with any ...

Time Rendered Useless: drawing a Lambo on MS Paint 2 years ago on Autoblog

When I was a kid, I used to sit in front of the computer and draw up concept cars on Microsoft Paint. It was, and still is, a very primitive application, but it was simple enough for me to use back in grade school. I even designed the graphics for a local ISP's website on MS Paint, but that was the ...

VIDEO: Live from Dearborn: Microsoft and Ford demo Sync 2 years ago on Autoblog

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/business_finance/Ford_Takes_Giant_Leap_for_Mankind_with_Sync_System'; At Ford's recent 2008 product information event, the Blue Oval showed that it's catching up to the competition on many fronts, including powertrains, interior quality, and overall refinement. ...

Final car list for Forza Motorsports 2 announced 2 years ago on Autoblog

It's fantastic when the Microsoft juggernaut uses its massive expertise to get things spot on. Forza Motorsport 2, the sequel to original's four-wheeled bedlam, has better physics, better visuals, and according to the recently posted list, 310 cars to choose from. There's the mundane, like a 2006 ...

Microsoft angers NYC residents with a beat-blasting Zune FJ Cruiser 2 years ago on Autoblog

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Microsoft_angers_NYC_residents_with_a_beat_blasting_Zune_FJ_Cruiser'; Microsoft, looking to get the message out about it's Zune doohickey, has turned a Toyota FJ Cruiser into an urban assault vehicle. The test run occured in a New York City neighborhood in ...

VIDEO: Live demo of Ford/Microsoft's Sync 2 years ago on Autoblog

Our car-culture obsessive friends over at Jalopnik traveled into the bowels of FoMoCo to get some exclusive playtime with the Sync, the infotainment progeny of the Ford and Microsoft partnership. After the jump, you can view the first installment, as Ray Wert sits down with one of Ford's techy PR ...

CES 2007: Fill that void in your dash with GPS 2 years ago on Autoblog

From our viewpoint here at CES, it looks like automotive electronics manufacturers want nothing more than to fill that gaping hole where your 8-track once was with anything but an 8-track. So far, Pioneer, Eclipse, TomTom, and even Microsoft are among those introducing all-in-one navigation-giving, ...

Detroit Auto Show: Ford Sync 2 years ago on Autoblog

UPDATE: The above video does a much better job of showing you what Sync does than we do explaining it. Microsoft and Ford have teamed to produce Ford Sync, a new in-car system that offers comprehensive, seamless integration with Bluetooth-enabled phones and a variety of digital music players. A ...

Ford and Microsoft offering Sync connectivity in 2008 models 2 years ago on Autoblog

The refreshened 2008 Ford Focus and Five-Hundred will both be rolled out with Bluetooth connectivity next year thanks to a partnership between the Blue Oval and Microsoft. That company from Redmond developed a system called Sync that includes not only a hands-free Bluetooth wireless system for cell ...

Ford and Microsoft teaming up to offer Blue&Me in-car computing in 2007 2 years ago on Autoblog

Thanks to sister site Engadget, we've learned about a new collaboration between Ford and Microsoft that will put a personal computer in your car. Expected to debut as early as next year on some Ford vehicles and be shown both at CES and NAIAS in January, the system is known as Blue&Me, although ...

Bill Gates' Porsche 959 to become enemy of the state 2 years ago on Autoblog

The "Show or Display" exemption that was enacted under Bill Clinton's tenure as president has been a godsend for collectors and enthusiasts who love certain European and Asian vehicles that were never officially certified for U.S. road use, cars like the McLaren F1, Bugatti EB110, Jaguar XJ220, ...

LA Auto Show: Suzuki SXBox Concept 2 years ago on Autoblog

Despite not having a press conference scheduled during the 2006 LA Auto Show, Suzuki "unveiled" (i.e. had sitting out when the show opened) the SXBox Concept, an SX4 modified with enough video game equipment to make any card-carrying gamer weep. The car features a dashboard integrated XBox 360 that ...

PC on the go: FordLink mobile office goes on sale 3 years ago on Autoblog

Ford unveiled its concept of a mobile office last year at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, and as of today the system, dubbed FordLink, is available for the 2007 F-150 and Super Duty models at all U.S. dealerships. The dealer-installed accessory features a ruggedized touchscreen tablet computer running ...

Microsoft to run Formula 1 in 2008! 3 years ago on Autoblog

As the FIA prepares Max Mosley's more restrictive Formula 1 rules package for its 2008 debut, its World Motor Sport Council has decided that Microsoft (Yes, that Microsoft. Really.) will be the official supplier of engine control units under the new rules, which go into effect for the 2008 season. ...

Chrysler's Jeff Bell bails for the crisp Seattle weather 3 years ago on Autoblog

Well, maybe it's not the weather, but rather a rosy offer from Microsoft that's got him moving westward. Chrysler Group's Jeff Bell, most recently a vice president of product strategy and VP of marketing before that, is leaving Chrysler for a job at Microsoft. Bell, a video game enthusiast, can be ...

Geek Squad dumping VWs for Lamborghinis in preparation for Windows Vista* 3 years ago on Autoblog

Best Buy Corporation is exchanging its ranks of Geek Squad Volkswagen New Beetles for something a little faster in preparation for the release of Windows Vista. With an expected deluge of work brought about by the new operating system, the black and white VWs favored by Geek Squad cadets are being ...

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Autoblog Podcast #153: With Phil Berg

Phil Berg puts his reputation on the line and hangs with the podcast crew.

 
 

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