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At the time, the company promised AppLink would be first available as a downloadable upgrade for owners of the 2011 Fiesta (below), and would allow users to control applications on their phones using voice commands or steering wheel buttons.
In order to be controlled via AppLink, apps would need to be upgraded by their authors in accordance with a Sync API (application programming interface), Ford explained. Scheduled to appear first were Pandora internet radio, Stitcher "smart radio," and Orangatame's OpenBeak app for Twitter, the company added in April.
Ford delivered on its promise last December, announcing that owners of Sync-equipped Ford Fiestas could obtain AppLink for free from the http://www.syncmyride.com website.
Now, says Ford, AppLink continues on the Fiesta but will also be offered on ten additional vehicles. In addition to the F-150 pickup -- America's best-selling vehicle -- other 2012 models to receive the option will be the Ford Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, F-150 SVT Raptor, Super Duty, Expedition, E-Series, and Shelby GT500 (below).
Ford cites a recently released J.D. Power and Associates report as saying 86 percent of smartphone owners indicate they use their device while in their vehicles. According to a Nationwide Mutual Insurance 2010 study, more than one in four Americans who download smartphone apps admit to using those apps while driving, the automaker adds.
Doug VanDagens, director of Ford Connected Services Solutions, said that by adding AppLink to more vehicles, the automaker can give customers "a smarter way to access their apps while driving that keeps their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road."
Fusion and F-150 owners are already avid buyers of the Sync System, Ford added: More than 84 percent of 2011 Fusions sold were equipped with Sync, with F-150s coming in at more than 76 percent.
Using AppLink
The AppLink software is downloaded to a USB stick via PC, then uploaded to a car's Sync system via its USB port, Ford says, adding that in-car installation takes less than 10 minutes. Once installed, AppLink can connect to a phone using Bluetooth on Android and BlackBerry devices, and the USB port for Apple's iPhone. AppLink-ready software may then be launched and operated using a combination of voice recognition and voice synthesis technologies, Ford adds.
To access a mobile app with a Sync-paired phone, the user simply has to press the Voice button on a car's steering wheel and say the command, "Mobile applications," followed by the name of the app he or she would like to launch. Information related to the app then appears on the car's instrument panel display, as pictured above.
Ford adds that all three AppLink-enabled apps it promised in April are available now: Pandora (in iOS, Android and BlackBerry versions), Stitcher (iOS, with an Android version coming in the summer), and OpenBeak (BlackBerry only).
Once linked to Pandora, AppLink users can access their favorite personalized radio features via voice, Ford says, including creating and choosing stations, bookmarking songs for purchase, and giving songs a thumbs up/down. Command structure is said to be intuitive and simple: "Play station classic rock radio," "Bookmark song," "Thumbs up" or "Thumbs down."
It's said similar voice command pathways and functionality exist for the Stitcher and OpenBeak apps. With Stitcher, for example, users can say "Play station news" to listen to your favorite news radio or "Play station sports" to hear on-demand sports programming. Other popular Stitcher features such as skip station, thumbs up/down and "Add to favorites" are also available via voice, according to Ford.
As for the OpenBeak Twitter client, drivers can simply say the Sync command, "Read timeline." In seconds, their feed is read aloud using the Sync text-to-speech engine -- a very similar experience to listening to talk radio, Ford claims.
Other recent enhancements to Sync
With the aid of embedded software supplier Bsquare, among others, Ford has been steadily refining its Windows CE-based Sync technology. In July 2010, for example, the automaker responded to growing concerns about texting by saying it would provide the system with a "Do Not Disturb" button.
According to Ford, the enhanced MyFord Touch versions of Sync adopt the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's Message Access Protocol (MAP), allowing the system to read incoming text messages aloud to drivers. Since some phones don't support the MAP profile, MyFord Touch also offers a "Do Not Disturb Mode," which block incoming phone calls or text messages from a paired, Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone, saving them on the device for later listening or viewing.
Even in this mode, drivers can still be able to make voice-activated outgoing phone calls, if they so decide, and the Sync 911 Assist feature can still call emergency services automatically if an airbag is deployed, the company added.
Ford also announced last July that an enhanced version of MyFord Touch would use Nuance Communications' USA (unsupervised speaker adaptation) voice recognition technology, allowing it to respond to more than 10,000 commands. USA learns the voice of a driver within the first three voice commands, quickly creating a user profile and adapting to tone, inflection, and dialect, Nuance claims.Due to present-day limitations in voice recognition technology -- as well as the problems that could ensue if Sync wound up inadvertently eavesdropping on conversations -- the system isn't designed to pick up all speech that occurs within a vehicle. Rather, it responds only to pre-defined phrases.
Background on Sync ...
Ford first introduced its Windows CE-based Sync automotive technology in 2008-model cars, initially focusing the system on integrating phones and PMPs (portable music players) into a car's entertainment system. The system has subsequently been broadened to include GPS, cellular data, and a variety of other elements.
According to Ford, Sync first began to ship in fall 2007 and has now been installed in more than two million Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles. This milestone was reached only ten months after the one-millionth Sync-equipped vehicle, a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (below), was presented to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Ford says.
Microsoft's Windows CE for Automotive was first released in 1998, since when it has evolved into a variety of product offerings. For example, in 2003 it was called Windows Automotive (2003), and by 2006 it was known as Windows Mobile for Automotive.
Unlike with many Microsoft products, however, naming is secondary, since the core technology is designed to be adapted by automaker customers and offered under their own brands. For example, the Windows CE-based software made its debut in Europe and South America on Fiat vehicles, where it is known as Blue&Me.
The technology was later released in the U.S. by Ford as Sync, on passenger cars, and Ford Work Solutions, for commercial vehicles. It is also offered in a version for Peterbilt and Kenworth big rigs.
In March 2009, Microsoft announced Microsoft Auto 4.0, adding a standard interface for broadcast radio tuners, CD playback and ripping support, and support for x86 processors such as the Intel Atom Z530, Z510P, Z530PT, and Z510PT. The subsequently released Microsoft Auto 4.1, based on Windows CE 6.0 R3, added enhancements including Bluetooth 2.1, MAP 1.0, and simple secure pairing support.
Finally, an October 2010 announcement unveiled Windows Embedded Automotive 7, based on Windows Embedded Compact 7 (the next-generation version of Windows CE that was announced in June). The upgrade adds support for Silverlight for Windows Embedded, allowing automakers to "quickly create rich device user experiences with engaging 2-D and 3-D graphics," says Microsoft.
According to Microsoft, Windows Embedded Automotive 7 "builds on the best of Microsoft Auto 4.1 and Windows Automotive 5.5, delivering a large set of integrated and flexible middleware components." Existing support for phones and media devices has been enhanced, now including Bluetooth 2.1, iPhone/iPod Touch firmware 3.x support, and the latest DLNA (digital living network alliance), and twice-yearly device compatibility updates are promised.
Microsoft says Windows Embedded Automotive 7 supports single or single- or multiple-core processors using Intel, ARM, or SH4 architectures. Hardware options are available from silicon partners including Freescale, Nvidia, Renesas, Samsung, and Texas Instruments, the company adds.
Jonathan Angel can be reached at jonathan.angel@ziffdavisenterprise.com and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense.
