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Smart Phone + Smart Car = GENIUS ALERT

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Ford is expanding its SYNC® connectivity system, adding Apple CarPlay, Android Auto™, 4G LTE and several new AppLink™ apps to help millions of consumers stay connected behind the wheel and even when they are away from their cars.

“SYNC allows customers to bring the smartphone technology they’re comfortable with into a vehicle and use it without hassle,” said Don Butler, Ford executive director, Connected Vehicle and Services. “With SYNC, we move at our customers’ pace – making it easy for them to maintain a connected lifestyle no matter their choice of smartphone, apps or services inside and outside their vehicle.”

With more than 15 million SYNC-equipped vehicles on roads around the world today and 43 million expected by 2020, Ford’s industry-leading communications and entertainment technology is offering customers even more connectivity. Connectivity is one part of Ford Smart Mobility, the plan to take the company to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience, and data and analytics.

Apple CarPlay
Apple CarPlay is compatible with iPhone 5 and later models. It works by plugging in the iPhone via USB, then the CarPlay interface appears on the touch screen. Apple CarPlay features Siri voice control, and seamlessly integrates an iPhone with the car’s built-in display and controls.

The integration makes it easy to make phone calls, access music, send and receive messages, get directions optimized for traffic conditions and other features – all while keeping your eyes on the road.

Android Auto
Users of Android devices 5.0 and higher can bring their smartphone experience into their vehicle safely and easily. Convenient information, including Google Maps, Google Play Music and apps are projected onto the SYNC screen, offering seamless integration of the smartphone into the car. Google voice search answers any questions customers may have also while on the road.

SYNC: Nearly a decade of connectivity leadership
Ford SYNC is the world’s leading in-car entertainment and communications system, with more than 15 million vehicles on the road worldwide.

Launched in 2007, Ford SYNC was the industry’s first system to widely and most affordably offer voice-activated technology to control smartphones. The latest-generation system – SYNC 3 – features all-new hardware and software for faster performance, more conversational voice recognition, a smartphone-like touch screen, and easier-to-understand graphical interface for a growing number of Ford vehicles in North America.

The Future of the Automobile

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The automobile has come a long way since Henry Ford debuted his brand new car, the Model T, in 1908. That car, which introduced the country to a whole new world of technological innovations, was just the first step in a continuing process of refinement to create safer, more comfortable, and better performing cars. While the automotive industry has been introducing technological advances gradually over the last century, 2014 looks to be a huge leap for technology in cars in the form of digital user interfaces.

 

A quick glance at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, is very telling for where consumers and industry experts alike see the future of cars heading. A new partnership between technology companies NVIDIA and Google, along with a handful of car makers, is looking to forgo proprietary software in favor of Google Android-powered open source software in order to move towards what people are calling a “connected” car. This Google powered technology looks to serve two main functions in cars. The first is vehicle-to-vehicle safety systems that can interact with other cars or even potentially traffic lights or cameras, whereby the car can either alert the driver or even assist in braking or handling. Secondly, they can work in providing the driver with information or safe-for-driving entertainment. Access to music, navigation, and email can be used and also synced with data at home or in the office.

Always a step ahead, Ford released Ford SYNC in 2007 which allows drivers to make telephone calls, control music, and even order pizza without having to take a hand off the wheel. The Ford SYNC system, which uses a Microsoft Windows-based software, can sync with other devices via Bluetooth or USB and can get 911 assistance, check traffic reports, get access to car health reports, and even remotely access an office computer. Since 2007, Ford has continued to improve and update SYNC and has included it in a significant number of new Ford cars and Ford trucks.

These technologies are helping to pave the way for a safer, more enjoyable automobile for the future and Ford is leading the way. There is no limit to what having connected cars can provide for consumers, and it will be exciting to see where the technology takes the automotive industry.