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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.
However, Nuance says, the enhanced "MyFord Touch" version of Sync that will debut this year on the 2011 Ford Edge (above) will recognize hundreds more commands than before, for a total of more than 10,000. (For background on MyFord Touch, see later in this story.)
Ford Lead Engineer Brigitte Richardson (featured in the video below) is quoted as saying, "As weve gained processing power and learned more about how drivers use the system, weve been able to refine the interface. Customers can do more and say more from the top-level menu, helping them accomplish their tasks more quickly and efficiently."
With the aid of embedded software supplier Bsquare, among others, Ford has been steadily refining its Windows CE-based Sync technology. Last week, 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, MyFord Touch (and the essentially similar MyLincoln Touch) will adopt the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's Message Access Protocol (MAP), allowing the system to read incoming text messages aloud to drivers. Since few phones yet 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 will 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 last week.
Ford also announced it is "taking the proactive step of locking out or limiting content and capabilities of MyFord Touch that are not related to the task of driving when the vehicle is in motion. Locked-out functionality was said to include:
More about 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.
At January's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), meanwhile, Ford showed off the Sync upgrades that will 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 allow installation of third-party applications, according to the company.
Ford said at CES that the MyFord infotainment system would 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.
As mentioned earlier in this story, 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.
... and more about Microsoft's auto 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.
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, 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.
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.
More information on Sync may be found on the Ford website, here.
More information on Nuance's voice recognition products may be found on the company's website, here.
