sync

Review: MyFord Touch is Dead, Long Live SYNC 3!

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Ford infotainment technology and tagged car review car reviews ford ford escape infotainment lincoln sync sync 3 on by (updated 3346 days ago)

2016 Ford Escape SE - 27 of 40The week of January 7, 2007 was a hugely important preview of the future of cars and how we would interact them. In the span of three days, there were three major product announcements in three cities that all seemed distinct at the time but the convergence is now becoming clearer every day. The week kicked off with General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz revealing the original Chevrolet Volt concept at the Detroit Auto Show. Later that same day, then future Ford CEO Mark Fields joined Microsoft CEO Bill Gates on stage at CES in Las Vegas to announce the SYNC connectivity system. Finally, two days later Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed the world the iPhone at Macworld Expo in San Francisco.

Each of those three products has evolved significantly in the last eight years and with each passing day we get closer to the fusion of them all, potentially in an Apple car. While that latter product is still likely years away from being announced, touchscreen smartphones are now ubiquitous with more than two billion in use around the world. They are so prevalent that we now expect to be able to use them anywhere and everywhere including behind the wheel. While plug-in vehicles currently represent only a tiny fraction of the world’s vehicle parc, they too will likely one day dominate and with the addition of autonomous capability our vehicles may well become nothing more than a place to consume content while being moved around.

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Driver’s with Ford SYNC Can Add SIRI Compatibility for $99

This entry was posted in cars technology and tagged automatic labs ford sync on by

All-New 2015 Ford Edge Showcases Technology, Design and Craftsma

Today, Automatic Labs launched an update to the iOS version of the app that works with the company’s $99 vehicle diagnostics dongle that enables Ford drivers with SYNC to use Siri hands-free. Ford hasn’t issued any release about this and Automatic’s blog post is sparse on technical details so I reached out to Ford technology spokeswoman Emily Olin for some details.

First a bit of background on Automatic Labs. In 2012, they launched an app and accompanying bluetooth adapter that plugs into the OBD-II diagnostic port that is built into every new vehicle built since 1996. The app is free and an Android version is also now available but, the adapter $99.

When plugged in, the dongle reads data off the vehicle’s internal communications network just like the diagnostic tools used by technicians at every dealership service department or local garage. The app gets the data and can display all kinds of useful information for drivers such as fuel economy, diagnostic faults and tell you how much you are spending on fuel and how efficiently you are driving. If can even call 911 when an airbag deployed message comes across the network.

The latest trick that Automatic has added with some help from Ford is to read voice commands off the network. When the driver presses the voice command on the steering wheel while the automatic adapter is plugged in, the commands are transmitted to a connect iPhone where the Automatic app then passes them along to Siri for recognition and execution.

According to Olin, no upgrades are required on the vehicle, just the addition of the Automatic adapter. Automatic’s website mentions that an Android update is also forthcoming that will presumably pass the messages to Google Now.

At $99 for the Automatic Labs adapter, you’ll have to decide if Siri in the car is that important to you. However, the upside is that you can use it with existing cars with SYNC and you won’t have to spend tens of thousands on a new car with Siri Eyes-free or CarPlay.