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In order to be controlled via AppLink, apps need to have been upgraded by their authors in accordance with a Sync API (application programming interface), Ford explains. The first such apps will be those for Pandora internet radio, Stitcher "smart radio," and Orangatame's OpenBeak app for Twitter, the company adds.
According to Ford, AppLink will initially support Android and BlackBerry platforms, while "interoperability with other smartphones" will follow. The latter will include Apple's iPhones, a Ford spokesperson reportedly told our sister publication eWEEK.com, but there's no word about Windows Phone 7 support.
Ford says it has expanded the developer program first announced last January (see below for details) by creating a special page on its Syncmyride website (here). The website allows developers to sign up for the latest information about the Sync API and SDK, which will allow developers to modify existing applications or create all-new apps that can successfully interface with Sync, the company adds.
Doug VanDagens, director of Ford's Connected Services Organization, stated, "The growth in smartphone mobile apps has been explosive, and Ford has worked hard to respond at the speed of the consumer electronics market. AppLink will allow drivers to control some of the most popular apps through Sync's voice commands and steering wheel buttons, helping drivers keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road."
Ford's 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. As we detail below, 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.
Ford says the price of Sync has been kept to just $395, and adds at least $200 to the resale price of any thusly equipped car. It's said that in 2009, a 911 Assist feature was added that can automatically dial an emergency operator if an air bag has deployed, along with a Vehicle Health Report feature. In 2010, the system gained a GPS receiver, voice recognition, and a Traffic, Directions, and Information application, the company says.
At January's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), meanwhile, Ford showed off Sync upgrades that will apparently be featured in some 2011-model cars, adding dual 4.2-inch displays and an available eight-inch touchscreen. "MyFord" and "MyFord Touch" will include navigation with turn-by-turn directions, and will now allow installation of third-party applications, according to the company.
Ford said at CES that the MyFord infotainment system will build on previous versions of Sync by adding two 4.2-inch color LCD screens. One screen (shown, below left), in the instrument panel, will be controlled using a cellphone-style five-way controller, and will provide access to the following, the company says:
The other screen (shown above right) will provide a visual representation of turn-by-turn navigation, with turn arrows, street names, and distance-to-turn information. As a result, drivers will no longer need to pay for GPS hardware upgrades or third-party receivers, says Ford.
Meanwhile, an enhanced version of the system called "MyFord Touch" will add an eight-inch touchscreen display in a vehicle's center stack, plus a hub (pictured below left) below it that offers audio and video inputs, two USB ports, and an SD card reader. Ford says motorists will be able to purchase SD cards containing maps, enhanced POI (point of interest) information, and voice data, making it easy to upgrade to 3D maps (below right) that are regularly updated.
As well as being used for an enhanced navigation display (above), the eight-inch touchscreen can also display: driver-selected wallpaper (pictured top right); frequently accessed settings such as phone functions, navigation destinations, climate control settings or audio controls (pictured, middle right); or driver-selected "hot buttons" that can be tied to almost any controllable system in the car (pictured, bottom right). Display settings are memorized and stored according to a driver's unique key, allowing each user of a car to customize the screens to his or her own preferences, Ford added.
Even more intriguing, Ford officials promised that the MyFord Touch screen will also be able to display third-party applications that have been loaded onto the system, such as social networking (Twitter) and internet radio (Pandora and Stitcher) clients. Such applications, enabled via a newly available API (application programming interface), will work via a driver's mobile phone, which provides the system with its wide area connectivity.
As well as partnering with Pandora, Stitcher, and Twitter, Ford said, it has also allied with MapQuest, so that vehicle owners can use their personal computers to plan a journey, then send the data to their cars using a simple "send to Sync" command. According to the company, the information is received in-car by a driver's mobile phone using voice technology; therefore, a user does not have to have a data plan or even own a smartphone.
Background
Microsoft's Windows Embedded Auto software has also been adopted by Fiat (as Blue&Me) and Kia Motors America (Uvo). In January, a key components supplier, Continental AG, also announced a modular MMP (Multimedia Platform) that will apparently make Windows tech readily available even to automakers who have not cut their own deals with Microsoft.
"Windows Embedded Auto" is merely the latest name for Microsoft's Windows CE-based automotive technology. 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.
In March 2009, Microsoft announced Microsoft Auto 4.0, which it said would be made available in the spring to automakers. The new version added 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. (These CPUs include integrated heat spreaders, work at up to 185 deg. F, and appear to be Intel's bid to compete with ARM in the automotive world.)
According to Microsoft, the latest release of its software is now Microsoft Auto 4.1, which is based on Windows CE 6.0 R3. Version 4.1 includes the following enhancements, according to the company:
Further information
More information on Microsoft's Auto 4.1 software may be found on the company's website, here.
