In the sixth major software update to Ford's SYNC system, the automaker is extending Message Access Protocol (MAP) Bluetooth support to select 2011 and 2012 models, giving drivers the ability to have text messages and emails read aloud in their SYNC-equipped vehicles.
After a successful round of beta testing, Ford is ready to put you in touch with a live operator by way of its Sync Services system. Should you feel the need to speak to an actual person, Ford will put you in touch with an operator who is standing by, as it will henceforth be included as a standard
With Ford stepping up to become the first automaker to support the Safe Drivers Act of 2011, the Blue Oval is putting its money where its mouth is by dropping the price of its Sync system from $395 to $295.
Sync Services – Ford's lesser-known on-demand, voice-activated news and information service – has begun running a very OnStar-like beta. The new system allows registered Sync customers to connect with a live operator to fulfill business searches and address entry, but don't think of it as a replacement for the standard cadre of voice-ac
Ford says that it's in the process of responding to customers who feel that the company's Sync and MyFord Touch systems are cumbersome or difficult to use. According to the Detroit Free Press, the company's internal quality evaluations have discovered a few issues. While speaking to reporters, Zach Bowman
The Ford SYNC hands-free tech has proven to be a well-liked commodity over the past several years, in part because the automaker continues to update the feature-packed system. Now the automaker is catering to the estimated seven million fantasy baseball fans with on-demand weekly statistic updates right from the comfort of the driver's seat of a SYNC-equipped Ford or Chris Shunk
Sync first showed up in 2007, when it was offered as a $395 option in the 2008 Ford Focus. Since then, the Sync system has gone on to find a home in nearly all of Ford and Lincoln's vehicles. The infotainment system has helped Jeff Glucker
It's no secret Ford wanted Sync to become a sought-after value add for consumers, but it's probably news even to The Blue Oval just how much its desires have come true. From 2008 to 2009 the company's revenue per unit climbed from about $22,900 to $26,100, a 14 percent increase. Ford's VP of product Derek Kuzak said a third of that, about $1,000 per car, was due to newly available tech options.
Founded in 1995 and officially launched at that year's Chicago Auto Show, OnStar has just hit its 15th birthday. After unlocking 4.7 million doors and providing over 59 million turn-by-turn routes, the tech centerpiece found in General Motors' vehicles is not ready to sit back and revel in the past.
In case you thought installing SYNC into Ford vehicles was a ho-hum-whatever affair, that's not the case – Ford puts a lot of thought into it. The Blue Oval's latest assembly line advance is to have SYNC's infotainment software installed into the 2011 Ford Edge via WiFi. Made possible by the the latest version of SYNC with WiFi access, the new pr
Ford SYNC 2011 demonstration – click above to watch the video
Ray LaHood, the Department of Transportation's boss, recently had the revelation that looking down at your phone for four seconds while behind the wheel means you're "driving the length of a football field without watching the road." The DoT goes on to claim that distracted driving took the lives of up to 6,000 Americans in 2008 alone, with many more severely injured. Ford knows the stats and believes that texting while driving should be banned, but a
2011 Kia Sportage – click above for high-res image gallery
There are currently 19 million Sirius XM subscribers out there, and the vast majority of those cash-paying customers listen only in the car. Ford was among the earliest mass-market adopters of Sirius, as The Blue Oval made infotainment a big part of its vehicle strategy. But while Ford was an early passenger on the satellite bandwagon, another very popular technology could put the squeeze on pay-for-play radio.
Drivers of late-model Ford vehicles equipped with Sync Traffic, Directions and Information (TDI) will soon be able to plot out their routes using Google Maps on their home computer and then download turn-by-turn directions directly to the car. TDI is a recent addition that adds a GPS receiver which allows Sync equipped cars and trucks to provide directions even if the vehicle doesn't have the full map based na
Ford SYNC with Applink – Click above to watch the video after the the break
