Ford Sync Gets Upgrade from Microsoft - January 15th, 2008
In all the slew of droolable techy goodness to come out of the Consumer Electronics Show this week, Microsoft slipped in an upgrade of the Ford Sync system powered by the Auto 3.0 operating system. Microsoft has made it clear that there’s no reason why you can’t have a fully functional PC sitting in your dash. As a defector to Apple, however, I do hope that doesn’t mean daily use of the three-finger salute and the automotive equivalent of the blue screen of death.
Having said that, Bill Gates is going head-to-head with General Motor’s OnStar with the newly added 911 Assist feature. Heretofore the Sync system has been a nice voice-control feature for your Bluetooth cell phone and MP3 player. Now, when the airbag is deployed the system will call 911 for you. This cuts out the middleman in the OnStar crash sequence where an “adviser” contacts the driver and determines if a 911 call is necessary.
Additionally, Sync has gained the ability to take your car’s temperature. Drivers can request that Sync download a slew of diagnostic data to Ford where it’s analyzed and a maintenance or repair recommendation is spit back your way. Definitely nicer than trying to explain that “thunka thunka” noise to a grease monkey named Cooter.
(Drivers who already have the Sync system can tool into their dealerships for a free upgrade.)
Posted on January 15th, 2008 by Shorty
Filed under: technology |
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