Ford SYNC update may bring Pandora streaming
updated 04:50 pm EDT, Wed May 20, 2009
Ford SYNC to have Pandora?
Ford and Microsoft, which have jointly developed the SYNC communications and entertainment system for various Ford vehicles, may soon get streaming Internet radio capabilities via a partnership with Internet radio provider Pandora. A representative from Ford's Design and Technology team, Charlotte Fisher, has promised SYNC will receive regular updates sometime between every six and twelve months and has confirmed that Ford is currently engaged in talks with Pandora.
Ford recently announced an upgrade to the current SYNC system, v3.0, that users will be able to download via their PCs, put it onto a thumb memory drive and then transfer it to their car. This updated will launch on May 26th, with all 2010 model year Fords with the SYNC system shipping with it from the factory. The update will bring with spoken turn-by-turn navigation directions by using voice-recognition software and integrated GPS technology from Bluetooth-capable mobile phones.
When SYNC launched, it allowed users to wirelessly connect their Bluetooth-enabled phones, iPods and Zunes to the car's entertainment system and let users control them via their voice. It was then updated to monitor a vehicle's mechanical condition and connect users to 911 operators in the event of an emergency. [via AutoBlog]
TAGS :
iPod, industry, gadgets, software, Zune, Microsoft, sync, audio, mobile phones, Pandora, Ford
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 1999
wat?
Uh, so let me get this right. Sync will support Pandora by letting your phone provide the net connection? Here's a thought, I'll just run Pandora right on my iPhone, and I can hook it up to about a million different car stereos (including the current revision of Sync) and listen to it that way... Just what my car needed, another complex computer chewing through power.