SYNC has given Ford a much-needed technology boost. The infotainment device provides motorists with features such as voice-controlled integration with MP3 players and automatic calls to emergency services in the event of an accident. For the 2010 model year, SYNC adds GPS hardware, giving owners access to traffic, directions, and information.

SYNC TDI works through your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone to deliver real-time traffic information and turn by turn directions. SYNC TDI can also be personalized to deliver real-time updates of sports scores, weather, entertainment news and more. There is no subscription fee, either, because SYNC TDI uses your existing phone service, which you're already paying for.

This update is now available at syncmyride.com for owners of SYNC-equipped 2010 model-year Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. The download only works with vehicles that aren't equipped with Ford's voice-activated navigation system.

To update your SYNC, load the SYNC TDI to a thumb drive, then start your car and plug into the USB port. SYNC will give you two completion notices; at one minute and again within 10 minutes. Once the download is complete, you have to reconnect your USB device to your computer, Log into syncmyride.com, and register the successful download. It's a bit of a bulky process to get SYNC TDI operational, but we're guessing real-time traffic, weather, sports, and directions will be worth your trouble. Hit the jump to pore over Ford's detailed press release.

[Source: Ford]

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 SYNC software, it has just as much reason to celebrate its success as Ford. Microsoft CEO and Detroit native Steve Ballmer decided the best way to celebrate was to get his hands on SYNC vehicle number 1 million; a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The 41 mpg sedan was delivered by none other than Ford CEO Alan Mulally.

Mulally reiterated his support of SYNC, saying that Ford would "continue to innovate and expand the capability of SYNC by integrating even more new technologies that fit our customers' lifestyles." SYNC already interfaces with navigation and entertainment systems, and 911 Assist helps call emergency services in the event of an accident. SYNC will receive further updates this summer when it gains the ability to deliver traffic, directions and information services. Hit the jump to view the Ford press release, and check out the gallery below to see Mulally deliver a 2010 Fusion Hybrid to the Microsoft CEO.



[Source: Ford]

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.

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 of hardware will be needed to perform both tasks where it currently requires two. The software launches in the Spring and should save big bucks for OEM that adopt it.

Ford and Fiat currently use an older version of Microsoft Autos, which the automakers have branded as SYNC and Blue & Me, respectively. Hyundai also struck a deal with Microsoft last year to include the Redmond's automotive software in future models. There's no word yet on when Ford and Fiat will incorporate MA4 into their systems, but considering the success of SYNC in the U.S. at least, we're guessing soon.

[Source: Automotive News subs req'd]

Ford's head of electronics told Autoblog today that the future of SYNC is already in the works, including the possibility of one day opening up the platform to the developer community.

Jim Buczkowski, Ford's director of electronics and electrical systems said he sees SYNC as a platform on which creative innovation could be built. He said if such a developer program were ever to be implemented, it would work much like Apple's program where outside developers build apps that would be evaluated by Ford before being made available to customers. Buczkowski said the first priority in evaluating apps, though, would be to ensure safety for drivers.

There are no definite plans for a "SYNC SDK" anytime soon, but it is an indication that Ford is busy working to keep SYNC ahead of the competition.

Ford's Executive Vice President Mark Fields told us in another CES interview that with SYNC, Ford is now able to behave more like a technology company than an automotive company. New sheet metal takes much longer to design and implement than a software update that would give Ford owners many new features. To keep up the innovative pace, Fields said they seek input from customers in the blogospheres, focus groups and from Ford's SYNC My Ride Web site.

On top of those new SYNC features we've already told you about, Ford showed off what its SYNC system might one day look like with configurable controls and a personal assistant "avatar" named Eva. The concept is meant to provide a more human interface with the vehicle to help drivers be safer and more efficient. Instead of the disembodied voice of KITT, Eva is an animated character on your instrument panel that converses with you in plain English. She's a little creepy, but chalk that up to the Uncanny Valley phenomenon.

Ford also says it will be taking SYNC to European markets in 2010 then to Asia Pacific and Australia.

Earlier today, Ford Executive VP Mark Fields also told us that his company is working with Best Buy to educate mobile phone customers about SYNC. CEO Alan Mulally (that's him in the red cardigan) went into more detail about the partnership later in his keynote speech at CES. Fields said sales reps in Best Buy's standalone mobile phone stores would educate customers on SYNC's new capabilities when paired with a Bluetooth-enabled smart phone and then point out what phones are compatible with Ford's infotainment system. Check out the video above, the gallery of Ford's big CES keynote below, and an official press release from the Blue Oval after the jump.


Live Photos Copyright ©2009 Chris Tutor / Weblogs, Inc.

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 smartphone.

Boiled down to the bare essentials, these features are summed up as Traffic, Directions and Information. The Traffic feature sends texts messages with traffic alerts to the user's phone, or the SYNC system can read them aloud in the car. The Directions function mimics a full-feature navigation system by displaying directions on the radio and speaking them audibly through the sound system. And finally there's information, which allows users to access sports, weather and news of all types through SYNC.

The best part is that all of these features follow you to any vehicle equipped with SYNC via your smartphone. Ford even claims that the iPhone works with these new capabilities despite the fact Apple limits the phone's Bluetooth capability and AT&T doesn't allow data tethering. We'll be sure to get more details on how all this works later today when we meet with Ford execs and get a demonstration.

The big Blue Oval says it will offer these new SYNC features on almost all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles with three years of service included right up front. Check out Ford's full press release and see a video demonstrartion of the new features after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

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 Hyundai and Kia vehicles beginning in 2010. Microsoft will also work with Korea's Institute for IT Advancement to open an Automotive IT Innovation Centre in Seoul. The Korean auto giant will partner with Microsoft on auto telecommunication, telematics, navigation systems, and improving Human Machine Interface technology.

Recent developments in automotive technology show that infotainment tech like Ford's SYNC and BMW's in-car Internet systems are hot. Microsoft appears to be capitalizing on the new trend by netting a second automotive partner, while Hyundai gets the new interactive tech that customers are craving. If its cars are anything to go by, Hyundai's version of the technology will probably cost less and do more.

[Source: Hyundai]

The window sticker on a 2008 Navigator shows a mighty low 12 mpg in the city and only 18 on the highway, so Ford went back to the drawing board to improve on that number for this year. The Blue Oval's blinged-up luxury sled boasts a fuel friendlier average of 14/20 for 2009, a marginal improvement, but an improvement nonetheless. Ford says those numbers are good enough to put the Blue Oval at the head of the luxury SUV space that includes the Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX570 and Nissan QX56. Ford was able to increase fuel economy by almost 15% on the big SUV by implementing some of the same engineering tricks employed on the 2009 F-150, which itself gets up to 15/21 in SFE trim. Changes were made to the idle speed and the transmission, as well as some fancy software engineering that regulates gas consumption by using aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off.

Ford also made standard several items that were previously only available as options, including a power lift gate, heated and cooled front seats, PowerFold third-row seats, cap-less fuel filler, Rear View Camera, flexible fuel-capable V-8 engine, SYNC and the stunning 14-speaker THX II-Certified audio system. The 2009 Navigator will also be available with Ford's new and improved navigation system with Travel Link. Ford hasn't announced any improvements for the Expedition, but we'd expect Ford's blue collar version of the Navigator will receive similar fuel economy enhancements. Hit the jump to view Ford's press release, which includes the full list of now standard features.

[Source: Ford]

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 larger presence in a rapidly growing field. Microsoft has increased both staffing and funding by 30% in an effort to get in on the connectivity and infotainment ground floor. Sync has been Microsoft's crowning achievement in the automotive space to date, with over 200,000 units sold so far and 1 m expected by the end of 2009. Though Ford owns Sync branding rights, Microsoft will be able to peddle the inexpensive system to other automakers in 2009. Microsoft's "Live Search" technology is also available to automakers, and it will spawn in-car systems that allow drivers to search for nearby businesses.

Since every other aspect of our lives is now interconnected, it makes sense for cars to follow the trend. Whether you love the Microsoft or hate it, having the 800-pound gorilla in the automotive realm is a good thing. We just hope we won't have to worry about a blue screen of death plaguing our family wagon.

[Source: Detroit News]