Ford SYNC® 3 Connectivity System Speaks and Hears Australian
SYNC® 3^ – Ford’s all-new communications and entertainment system – features faster performance, conversational voice recognition with Australian accent-specific calibration, intuitive smartphone-like touchscreen and easier-to-understand graphical interface.
Additional features include seamless integration of AppLink for a simple way to control smartphone apps, Siri Eyes-Free capability for Apple iPhone, Android Auto functionality, software updates via Wi-Fi, and enhanced Emergency Assist for subscription-free emergency calling in the event of a significant accident#.
SYNC® 3 to launch this spring in Australia on 2017 Ford Focus, Mondeo, Mustang, Everest and Ranger, as we continue to provide a way for Ford customers to connect their smartphones while keeping their eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel
Ford is investing in Australia like no other automaker with $2 billion in R&D over the past six years and even more to launch and upgrade a record number of products, including the rapid rollout of SYNC® 3
Ford’s leading local investment in R&D and engineering team are doing more than developing world-class vehicles such as Everest and Ranger, they are teaching vehicles to speak and understand Australian accents.
In fact, five of Ford’s most popular models will hit the roads with Aussie flair in 2016 as the company introduces SYNC® 3, a new communications and entertainment system that is faster, more intuitive and easier to use with enhanced response to driver commands.
SYNC® 3’s more conversational voice recognition technology, a more smart-phone like touch screen and easy-to-read graphics will help millions of drivers connect with their lives and safely access their smart-phone’s features while on the road.
The next-generation system builds on the capability of SYNC® technology already in more than 15 million SYNC®-equipped vehicles on the road globally.
SYNC® 3 arrives on new vehicles in Australia in 2016.
“Our customers are connected outside their vehicles, and Ford SYNC® 3 will help them stay better connected while continuing to drive with their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road,” said Graeme Whickman, Ford of Australia President and CEO. “Our leading local R&D investment also helps us stay better connected to Australian consumer needs, including SYNC® 3’s new voice-recognition technology that speaks and understands Australian accents.”
Ford also took a customer-centric approach in developing SYNC® 3, drawing on 22,000 customer comments and suggestions from around the world – including Australia – plus insights gleaned from research clinics, market surveys and tech industry benchmarking.
Intuitive interface
Although SYNC® 3 is optimised for hands-free use, an all-new touch-screen delivers an experience similar to a smartphone or tablet.
Quicker response to touch as well as voice commands and smart-phone like gestures including pinch-to-zoom and swipe are central to SYNC® 3, along with crisp, modern graphics.
A bright background and large buttons with high-contrast fonts for daytime use help reduce screen washout in the sun. At night, the display automatically switches to a dark background to help reduce eye fatigue and minimise reflections on the windows.
Contemporary smart-phones and mobile operating systems have been benchmarked as part of SYNC® 3’s development, with a focus on intuitiveness and familiar, predictable systems to ensure SYNC® 3 is visually simplistic, easy to control yet sophisticated.
SYNC® 3 reduces on-screen complexity and prioritises the control options customers use most. The home screen features three zone choices – Navigation (if equipped), Audio and Phone. Tile-like icons dominate the screen, with a quick access function tray along the bottom making for a more straight-forward user experience.
Phone contacts are searchable via a simple swipe of the finger to scroll through the alphabet. With “One Box Search,” SYNC® 3 users can look up points of interest or enter addresses in much the same way they use an Internet search engine.
The number of items on-screen has been reduced, for a more simplistic, effective system that’s designed to reduce the need to look at the display, meaning that the driver’s eyes spend more time looking at the road, with their hands on the steering wheel.
Easy-to-use voice recognition
Ford SYNC® becomes more capable with the next-generation system by minimising the number of steps needed to carry out a command. With SYNC® 3, simply saying “play <song, artist, album or genre>” when a compatible USB device is plugged in prompts the system to play the desired song, artist, play-list or album; there is no need to identify the desired category. To switch back to a radio station, the user just says the radio station number.
By pushing a button and saying “I need a coffee,” drivers can find nearby cafés. Simple voice commands can also guide them to petrol stations or car parks, as well as locate train stations, airports, and hotels. The system then guides the driver to the selected destination via the embedded navigation available on most models.
Voice search results are also enhanced by a better understanding of how consumers refer to businesses and points of interest. Drivers don’t have to know an exact name. They can search for “Sydney Airport” rather than using the official name “Sir Charles Kingsford Smith International Airport.” With addresses, they can say, “Seventeen Thirty-five Sydney Road” instead of “One Seven Three Five Sydney Road.”
Apple CarPlay#
Compatible with iPhone 5 and later models, Apple CarPlay provides a simplified way to use your iPhone interface in a car’s touch screen, giving users access to Siri voice controls, as well as Apple Maps, Apple Music, Phone, Messages, and a variety of third-party apps.
When connected to an Apple iPhone, SYNC® 3 offers seamless integration of Siri Eyes-Free control. Drivers can seek Siri’s help by holding down SYNC®’s “Push to Talk” steering wheel button – much as they would hold down the button on an iPhone to initiate a Siri session.
Android Auto#
Android™ users can activate Android Auto™ through the SYNC 3 interface. Android Auto makes apps and services that drivers already know and love, accessible in safer and seamless ways including Google Search, Google Maps and Google Play.
Android Auto is available on devices with Android 5.0 and higher, it enables functions including voice controls for phone calls and messaging.
Innovative features
With SYNC1, Ford brought voice control to in-vehicle apps with AppLink™ , and the experience is further improved with SYNC® 3.
AppLink allows customers to connect their compatible smart-phone to their vehicle and control their compatible apps using voice commands or buttons on the vehicle display screen, without the need to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. AppLink now automatically discovers smart-phone apps including Spotify, Pandora, Glympse and AccuWeather, and displays their unique graphics and branding. Australian-developed apps including Club Connect (for Automobile Clubs of Australia members) and Fairfax Radio will be available later in 2016.
“Overall, AppLink is faster, more responsive and easier to find your apps,” said Julius Marchwicki, Ford global product manager, AppLink. “The overall design of SYNC® 3 allows for better integration with smart-phones – resulting in a more user-friendly experience.”
Developers easily can integrate branded apps into AppLink, providing Ford customers with an experience on the vehicle screen similar to what they see on smart-phone screens.
SYNC® 3 also features the new ability to update the software via Wi-Fi. Once a vehicle is set up with credentials for a home Wi-Fi network accessible in a customer’s driveway or garage, for example, it can automatically download updates.
SYNC® 3 allows owners to encourage safe driving when they are not behind the wheel with Ford MyKey. Owners can program a spare key to reduce the maximum speed of the vehicle, give an earlier low-fuel warning, limit the volume of the in-car entertainment or even disable it completely if the seatbelt is not fastened. The technology can provide reassurance to owners when lending their car to less experienced drivers.
SYNC® 3, like earlier generations of the technology, provides subscription-free Emergency Assist. The customer’s Bluetooth#-connected and within range phone is used to dial 000 in the event of a significant accident, alerting emergency services with the vehicle’s location. With SYNC® 3, the car relays additional information, including if air-bags have been deployed, the type of crash (front, side, rear or roll-over) and the number of safety belts detected in use, in order to help emergency call takers dispatch the appropriate resources to the scene.
^Not all SYNC™features are supported on all phones and/or require additional data services and equipment.
#Local laws may prohibit the use of some functions. Apple CarPlay, iPhone, Siri and Siri Eyes-Free are trademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the US and other countries. Android Auto, Google, Google Search, Google Maps and Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.
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