Sync: Ford+Microsoft

[jeffy.dee-lux]

So i'm a little conflicted on this one, as I'm a big Ford fan, but not such a big fan of Microsoft.

So basically the two companies are teaming up to provide all the things you'd expect as far as computer integration in cars goes... bluetooth phone connection, voice commands for telephone, text to speech for text messages (including translation of things like GR8 and LOL and all that!), caller ID, voice commands for music... The video posted on Autoblog explains it pretty well:

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/07/detroit-auto-show-ford-sync/

There isn't anything that's too shocking about this, its been pretty obvious since we were little kids that one day we'd be talking to our cars and doing all this stuff.
But man... these two companies... on a website like this, i can imagine there will be no end to the jokes about impending crashes and fixing or repairing daily.

I'm currently two thirds of my way into a back to the future marathon, so its nice to see that, apart from the flying cars, hover boards, and Mr. Fusion home power generation units, we're not all that far off the path towards a decent 2015.

 

[mkrishnan]

I think it has a lot of potential. It's kind of sad that I've had a Bluetooth cell phone for almost four years now and an iPod for three, and the number of cars on the market that can really work with them is still so limited. Jokes aside, the major global automakers (Toyota, Honda, Renault/Nissan, Ford, DCX, GM, VW, Fiat at the very least) have to all get involved before this will change. It's not enough for there to be a handful of cars on the market with these features, any more than it would be for there to still be just four or five bluetooth cell phones on the market.

 

[jlewis2k1]

hmm yeah if i had a car where microsoft products driven it yeah i can see the car malfunctioning ... or getting a mind of its own and try to murder you...