Overview
- First Ford SYNC, developed with Microsoft and announced at the NAIAS 2007, is Ford's voice-activated hands-free-in-car communications and entertainment system for mobile phones and digital media players. Then SYNC services monitored the vehicles' health and connected to 911 operator. Now, SYNC with Traffic, Direction and Information connects the driver to everything he need on the road.
- Ford SYNC is offered exclusively through Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products in North Amercia.
- Ford SYNC, as demonstrated on the Ford Flex in China Auto 2009, captures the heart and soul of the Y Generation, the first group of car buyers that has grown up online.
- The technology topped 30,000 unit sales in its first three months on the market, making it one of the fastest growing new products in the auto industry today; By summer 2009, Ford’s entire North American lineup will offer this must-have technology, demonstrating its rapid, consumer-driven adoption. Ford expects to have 1 million SYNC-equipped vehicles on the road by the third quarter of 2009.
- Ford Motor's vision with SYNC is to be a leader in connectivity, making it affordable for millions – just as Ford has done with safety and fuel-saving technologies. In less than 18 months since we launched SYNC, Ford has delivered two more major new features on it and have more in store.
- Ford defines connectivity as a way to keep people moving through their lives – not simply as an on-board computer. The approach focuses on connecting people to the information they need, whenever and wherever they need it. These new features are aimed at enhancing the driver’s entire quality of life.”
With a single press of button, the short message in your mobile phone is read out to you; say the name of a song on your digital media player or USB drive, it starts playing; say the name of a contact, your Bluetooth connected phone start dialing…all hands free! The magic comes from Ford SYNC, the voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system.
Ford SYNC™ – developed with Microsoft – connects people and their favorite portable devices while in the vehicle, including media players and Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. With SYNC, staying connected to friends and music while on the go is no longer a trend. It becomes part of everyday life.
Offered at about half of the price of similar features with other cars, SYNC is making in-car connectivity more affordable and more widely available than ever before. The technology is available today in North America on 12 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. Ford expects to have 1 million SYNC-equipped vehicles on the road by the third quarter of 2009.
“Ford’s goal is to deliver the smart, connected in-car experience that customers today demand and to lead the industry into a new era of in-vehicle connectivity,” says Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development.
SYNC: Main Features
- Voice-activated, hands-free calling: Simply press the “Push to Talk” button on the steering wheel, and then say the name of the person you wish to call. SYNC will automatically connect with the names in the mobile phone’s contact list.
- Uninterrupted connections: No needs to hang up in the middle of a cell phone call as you enter your vehicle. Simply touch the Telephone Button on the steering wheel, and SYNC will instantly connect to a Bluetooth phone.
- Audible text messages: SYNC will convert text messages from your phone to audio and read it out loud. The system is even smart enough to translate such commonly used text messaging expressions as “LOL” andJ. You can choose to reply from any of 15 predefined responses.
- Advanced calling features: SYNC includes the same features offered on mobile phones, including caller ID, call waiting, conference calling, a caller log, a list of contacts, a signal strength icon, and a phone battery charge icon – all conveniently located on the radio’s display screen.
- Voice-activated music: Browse the music collection on your digital media player or USB drive by genre, album, artist and song title using simple voice commands, such as “Play genre Rock,” “Play ,” or “Play Track .”
- Instant voice recognition: SYNC’s advanced voice recognition technology means when you’re ready to use your phone or digital music player, just hit the push-to-talk button and speak the simple voice commands.
- Ring tone support: For supported phones, SYNC will play personal ring tones. If you’ve configured unique ring tones to identify specific callers, SYNC will automatically play those, too.
- Automatic phonebook transfer: SYNC will automatically and wirelessly transfer all the names and numbers in a mobile phonebook.
- Multilingual intelligence: SYNC is fluent in English, French and Spanish. The function for simplified Chinese display and Mandarin Voice Recognition is understudy.
SYNC: New Functions to increase connectivity
Because SYNC is a software solution, owners of 2008 models equipped with SYNC already on the road will be able to have their systems updated with new functions.
- SYNC 911 Assist
New “911 Assist” feature will help quickly connect vehicle occupants directly to a local 911 emergency operator following an air bag deployment in a SYNC-equipped vehicle.
Before initiating the emergency 911 call, SYNC will provide a 10-second window to allow the driver or passenger to decide whether to cancel the call. If not manually cancelled within the 10-second window, SYNC will place the emergency call. A pre-recorded message will play when the call is answered, and occupants in the vehicle will then be able to communicate directly with the 911 operator.
The key advantage of SYNC 911 Assist is speed, as calls are placed directly to local 911 operators. A SYNC-assisted call should reach 911 operators faster than competitive systems, as there are no handoffs and no need to speak to a call-center operator.
- Vehicle Health Reports
SYNC is updated in 2008 to create, on demand, easy-to-understand reports that owners can use to monitor the health of their vehicles. Because SYNC is a software solution, owners of 2008 models equipped with SYNC already on the road will be able to have their systems updated with the new functions, as well.
Properly maintaining vehicles can save time, money and improve customers’ ownership experiences. Later 2008, with SYNC’s added functionality, staying up to speed with a vehicle’s maintenance needs will be easier than ever.
In creating a health report, SYNC will gather relevant information from the major vehicle control modules and send that information to Ford via an 800-number using the customer’s paired and operable mobile phone. The whole process, which in some vehicles will include a routine check of more than two dozen systems, takes a matter of minutes.
- Traffic, Directions and Information
Ford’s next-generation system – SYNC with Traffic, Directions and Information – leverages industry-leading voice-recognition software, integrated GPS technology and a customer’s Bluetooth-capable mobile phone. Debuting in the spring of 2009, it will provide simple hands-free access to personalized traffic reports, precise turn-by-turn driving directions and up-to-date information including business listings, news, sports and weather.
The new services will be available on nearly all 2010 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models with no initial monthly subscription fees, thanks to three years of service included with a new vehicle purchase.
Traffic
SYNC’s new traffic feature will literally save drivers time and money by providing personalized traffic reports based on best-in-class content.
SYNC is able to provide traffic speed, flow and incident information to drivers in 95 markets nationwide. In a text message to the user’s device, drivers will get the location and severity of accidents or new road construction causing areas of heavy congestion. Users can personalize the system to send them an alert before they leave home or have SYNC read the text message in their vehicle.
Directions
According to Telematics Research Group, Inc., navigation-enabled mobile phones are becoming consumers’ top choice for navigation services. This shift will open up new applications and services – and SYNC is positioned to take full advantage of this market shift using its powerful partnership network.
Drivers requesting directions now can use a variety of search criteria including a 14-million-plus business directory to find their destination, be it a favorite coffee shop or the location of a business meeting.
Turn-by-turn directions are downloaded to the vehicle and are spoken to the user over the vehicle’s audio system and displayed on the radio.
Like the new traffic service, directions incorporate real-time traffic information. Through a set of more conversational voice commands, the user need only speak the name, category or “nearest.”
The new directions service also offers users a choice of how they’d like to receive the information:
- Automatic connection to business telephone using the driver’s personal device;
- Turn-by-turn directions to the business location using the vehicle’s audio system; or
- Text message to user’s device with business listing and map.
Information
Another new feature of SYNC will help drivers’ personalize and categorize their favorite media topics, such as sports, weather and news using voice commands or through www.SYNCmyride.com.
Examples include:
- Personalized sports reports featuring scores and highlights for any professional or college team;
- Current weather conditions and forecasts based on city, state or zip-code; and
- News of all types – entertainment, business, top stories and technology.
Ford's Vision with SYNC
- Alan Mullaly, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company
"Our vision with SYNC is to be a leader in connectivity, making it affordable for millions – just as Ford has done with safety and fuel-saving technologies."
- Mark Fields, Ford’s President of The Americas
"We define connectivity as a way to keep people moving through their lives – not simply as an on-board computer. Our approach focuses on connecting people to the information they need, whenever and wherever they need it. These new features are aimed at enhancing the driver’s entire quality of life.”
- Doug VanDagens, Director of Ford’s Connected Services Organization
"Ford is unique because we continue to build on the power of the SYNC system that lets customers connect to off-board services through their own mobile devices. With that foundation, there is no limit to the data we can offer. Working with our partners – the best of the best in the technology world – we will continue to provide new services in a timeframe on par with the consumer electronics industry.”
Work with SYNC
Will my mobile phone work with SYNC?
If your mobile phone has Bluetooth, the answer is likely 'Yes!' Most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones support hands-free calling through SYNC.
We've tested a wide variety of mobile phones to ensure they support hands-free calling through SYNC. You can see all of them in the SYNC Compatibility Chart. However, even if your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone is not shown here, it may still work with SYNC. Many existing mobile phones have not been tested yet and new ones are introduced frequently.
Will my media player work with SYNC?
The answer is likely: 'Yes!'. Most popular media players work with SYNC, including iPod* Zune, "PlaysForSure" players and most USB drives. Supported audio formats include MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV and PCM.
*Excluding the iPod Shuffle.
How do I use SYNC's voice-activation feature to play digital music?
Hands-free digital music is at the tip of your tongue. Just say what you want and SYNC makes the music. Search, play and shuffle music with simple voice commands. SYNC understands artist names, track names, album names, genres and even the names of your favorite play-lists. Want to repeat music, play similar music or shuffle your music ?SYNC's ready for your every command. Tell SYNC to play your favorite band, your favorite song, or mix it up and tell SYNC to shuffle and select music plays randomly. It's your music. SYNC plays it however you want.
What music players and formats does SYNC support?
SYNC is compatible with Apple iPod? Microsoft Zune? PlaysForSure portable music devices, most combination mobile phone/digital music players, as well as most USB drives. Supported audio formats include MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, and PCM.
iPod is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Zune is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Award-winning Ford SYNC
- Ford SYNC has been recognized by the editors of Popular Science magazine as one of the best new technologies of the year and chosen to receive a 2007 "Best of What's New" award in the automotive category. Popular Science's "Best of What's New" awards honor the innovations that a make positive impact on life today and change our views of the future. (November, 2007)
- Ford SYNC was honored with a Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award. The Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards were created to recognize products that set new benchmarks in design, creativity, and engineering as well as individuals and teams that are helping to improve lives and expand possibilities in the realms of science, technology and exploration. (October, 2007)