Microsoft Sync

If you love your Ford but hate Ford Sync, listen up: according to Detroit News, Ford may soon ditch the Microsoft platform that underlies Sync and migrate to a new, more stable system. SYNC: THEN AND NOW When Microsoft first partnered with Ford to build infotainment systems for cars, Bill Gates was...Read More»

As automakers try to play catch-up to Ford's SYNC system, Ford has announced that its SYNC system has been installed in 3,000,000 Ford vehicles. To combat this Toyota announced today that it is launching Entune. Entune is Toyota's new infotainment and multimedia system. It will interface with...Read More»

Ford SYNC hit an important milestone this week: the popular telematics and infotainment system has now been installed in 3,000,000 Ford vehicles. Though impressive, that figure shouldn't be too surprising. Consumers and critics alike have been impressed with SYNC since its debut in 2007. Over time...Read More»

Yesterday we took time to look back at some of the year's biggest hitting automotive social news. Today we bring you five predictions of what we see happening in automotive social media in 2011. Below are our predictions for 2011 and the probability of them happening: More automakers will hire...Read More»

Ford announced today that its SYNC AppLink is now available for 2011 Fiesta owners. The app gives SYNC users the ability to use voice commands to control their smartphones. The AppLink app will initially be compatible with the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android smartphones, though more are possible...Read More»

Kia's new Sportage gets a heavy dose of technology in its 2011 edition, with a trio of technologies the company thinks will appeal to a whole new set of buyers. The new Sportage is being tasked with moving out of the crossover bargain basement and into a richer market segment filled with...Read More»

We've talked a lot about Google Maps and how it can make drivers' lives easier. We're happy to report that several major automakers have fully embraced Google's free service and are working hard to integrate its unique features into their vehicles' existing telematics systems. Ford is a great...Read More»

Stuck at a standstill in traffic and wondering if you have options? Or wondering if tomorrow's the right time for a blind date? Through the new voice-activated Traffic, Directions & Information (TDI) application that Ford offers in 2010- and 2011-model-year vehicles, both are now possible...Read More»

Some people believe that electric vehicles will reshape the auto industry. Others think fuel cells are the game-changer. The funny thing is: they're both completely wrong. The biggest shake-up in the auto industry won't come from under the hood. It'll come from the dashboard, and it'll leverage the...Read More»

Just ten months after Ford had reached one million installations of its Sync connectivity interface, it’s already at the two-million mark, which puts it way ahead of any other automaker for factory-installed Bluetooth and hands-free devices. Ford has found that, at auction, two-year-old used...Read More»

The 2011 Ford Fiesta has always been aimed at the Millennial generation -- specifically, those drivers in their 20s and 30s who avidly use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and other social media sites. To make the zippy, affordable Fiesta even more attractive to that demographic, Ford is now...Read More»

To boost business in these tough times, Ford Motor Company is now offering used-car customers a little lagniappe: a trial subscription to SIRIUS XM radio's "SIRIUS Everything" package. The service's 130+ channels of music, talk, and news ordinarily cost $12.95 per month, but they'll now be...Read More»

Mobile apps for Pandora and Stitcher, specially developed for in-car use, will be among the first to be supplied to users of Ford's all-new MyFord Touch system, Ford announced today at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Ford says that its appropriate that these two will be among the...Read More»

Kia is no longer taking second stage with respect to in-car technology. This week it's showing a new voice-control system for communication and audio that sounds every bit as full-featured as industry-leading systems such as Ford's Sync. At the time of its launch a few years ago, Ford was the only...Read More»

Just months after Hyundai announced that it's planning a telematics system to rival GM's OnStar comes news that Hyundai's sister, Kia, is working on a Ford Sync-killer. Details about the system -- called UVO -- remain under wraps, but it's expected to debut at next week's Consumer Electronics Show...Read More»

Ford has announced that the next-generation version of its SYNC connectivity system will include in-car WiFi. The new system will be powered through a USB mobile broadband unit, much like the one that many business travelers already have for mobile connectivity. Yet the system requires no...Read More»

Pandora.com is a fantastic free site that allows users to create personalized radio stations chock-full of their favorite music. When Pandora jumped to the iPhone in 2008, we were stoked because it meant we could finally take streaming music on the road (even though playback is a little dodgy...Read More»

In just one week, Ford has taken over 1,000 reservations for the much-hyped 2010 Ford Fiesta -- a car that won't roll into showrooms until next summer. The rush may be due to the company's highly effective "Fiesta Movement" campaign, or it might have something to do with the free SYNC system and...Read More»