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Old 28-12-2012, 10:39 AM
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Ford Showcases Advanced Telematics

MELBOURNE, 30 Aug, 2012

The flexibility of the SYNC platform means that it can be easily expanded to provide more in-car services to customers such as Emergency Assistance and AppLink
Emergency Assistance will automatically place a call to the local emergency services in the event of an accident with an air bag deployment
AppLink allows drivers to control their smart phone apps in their car with their voice and control buttons


Building on the tremendous success of SYNC, Ford Motor Company continues to deliver market-leading connectivity technology with innovative features such as Emergency Assistance and AppLink, which give customers more convenient control over their in-car experience.

Emergency Assistance and Applink are currently available in the United States but the technology will be rolled out to other markets.

Ford SYNC, powered by Microsoft, is an award-winning hands-free technology that allows customers to control their Bluetooth®1-enabled mobile phone and digital media player via voice commands so that they can make calls or play their favourite music while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

First introduced in North America, SYNC is now installed in more than 4 million Ford vehicles. With this industry-exclusive system launching across Europe and Asia this year, Ford projects an additional 9 million vehicles will be equipped with SYNC by 2015.

The popular Ford SYNC system has been expanded with features that can contact emergency services automatically in an accident with an airbag deployment and allow voice control over smartphone apps.

“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,” said Ed Pleet, Director, Connected Services, Ford Asia Pacific and Africa, and Europe.

An automatic call for help
A handy feature drivers hope they’ll never need, Emergency Assistance will automatically inform the emergency services in the event of a serious accident with an airbag deployment or fuel pump shut-off.

Before initiating the emergency call, the vehicle’s SYNC system 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.

An introductory message relaying the accident location co-ordinates based on the on-board GPS unit will be played when the call is answered, and occupants in the vehicle will then be able to communicate directly with the emergency operator.

There is no additional fee for this feature, as SYNC utilises a customer’s existing mobile phone. When a mobile phone is properly paired, turned on and connected to SYNC – which is designed to occur automatically every time the driver enters the vehicle with his or her mobile phone – the system is ready to go.

Unlike competitive systems that are embedded, SYNC’s use of the customer’s mobile phone means that the occupants can step away from the car to safety while still communicating with the emergency services.

In the United States, the system has drawn praise from emergency workers and customers.

Smart phone apps in the car
AppLink is a feature of SYNC, which is also the only system in the auto industry that allows drivers to control smartphone apps with their voice and control buttons.

Mobile apps on compatible Android, BlackBerry, and iOS smartphones are all accessible via AppLink through simple commands, allowing unprecedented control of the app while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

Currently available on 10 Ford vehicle models in the United States, AppLink enables customers to access leading apps including:

TuneIn radio – offers access to over 50,000 radio stations around the world
Allergy Alert – gives drivers on-demand access to allergy forecasts and potential allergen conditions
Stitcher – streams radio shows and podcasts directly to smart phones
Pandora – personalised internet radio service
OpenBeak – allows users to have Twitter updates read out to them
iHeartRadio – delivers everything listeners want in one free, fully-integrated service: live broadcast and digital-only radio stations, plus user-created Custom Stations
NPR News – the latest from NPR (National Public Radio), including newscasts, station streams from around the country, favourite public radio programs, coverage organised by topics, and the ability to create custom playlists
SYNC Destinations – a free app that delivers quick, on-the-go access to the latest traffic reports, travel times and traffic forecasts. Ford owners also can use the app to easily send future destinations from their phone to their car for simple, voice-controlled navigation on the road
Slacker Radio – Listen to over 150 expert-programmed, personalised radio stations, featuring music, ESPN Radio, ABC News and even Comedy channels
Scout by Telenav – a daily personal navigator that allows drivers to easily and efficiently navigate their commutes, run errands, and discover places around them
MOG – on-demand music with access to more than 15 million songs in its catalogue


The integration of the smart phone applications into the vehicle is made possible by Ford’s renowned Software Development Kit (SDK) that allows smartphone app developers to modify existing apps to work hands-free using voice recognition through SYNC.

“The flexibility of the SYNC platform and software-based solutions give Ford a powerful blend of in-car connectivity technologies that can easily adapt to our customers’ needs,” said Pleet.

“At Ford, we’re continually pushing the telematics envelope. We know the services our customers want to be connected to while driving, and we’ve worked hard to deliver those and more.”

As the new technology rolls out across different markets, Ford will be working towards launching in the APA region.

 

 

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