MyFord Touch gets overhauled for 2013, existing models included [UPDATE]
Filed under: Technology, Ford, Design/Style, Infotainment
MyFord Touch has taken plenty of flack from both consumers and critics since its release last year. The combination of capacitive controls for the climate control system and a cluttered user interface on the center screen were proof that MyFord Touch was a very one-point-oh product. To be fair, it was obvious that Ford's new system was both very advanced and very powerful, but its cool reception suggests that Ford may have attempted to sprint when it should have jogged following the success of SYNC. The first iteration of MyFord Touch was overly complex and occasionally glitchy, triggering a fair amount of bad press around some of the industry's leading quality indexes. Now, the Dearborn automaker is out to rectify some of the issues with its system for 2013 models - and existing Ford drivers will benefit from the updates as well.
To start, Ford has expanded the features of MyFord Touch to now include Apple iPad connectivity and access to Audible.com audiobooks through voice commands or the touchscreen. A range of improvements are also being implemented for better Bluetooth telephone connectivity, an updated map experience from TeleNav and Navteq, along with new Gracenote album cover art and improved voice recognition powered by Nuance technology.
The most obvious and front-facing updates have come in the form of a reworked interface for the central touchscreen. Ford claims to have significantly enhanced or augmented over 1,000 screens in the MyFord Touch system, using larger, bolder fonts, making the designs more consistent and removing low-priority elements while bringing the most frequently used controls closer to the driver. All that, plus improved touchscreen response time - something Ford heard loud and clear from owners - that's up to two times faster than the outgoing system.
These MyFord Touch enhancements are set to debut early next year on the 2013 models, with updates for existing owners going out around the same time (we've been told MyLincoln Touch will get similar upgrades). Overall, it looks like a solid - if not mind-blowing - update and you can see some before and after shots in the gallery above, along with the full details in the press release below the fold.
UPDATE: Video added after the jump.
Continue reading MyFord Touch gets overhauled for 2013, existing models included [UPDATE]
MyFord Touch gets overhauled for 2013, existing models included [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord extending MAP text support to more models
Filed under: Safety, Technology, Ford, Infotainment
In the sixth major software update to Ford's SYNC system, the automaker is extending Message Access Protocol (MAP) Bluetooth support to select 2011 and 2012 models, giving drivers the ability to have text messages and emails read aloud in their SYNC-equipped vehicles.
MAP Bluetooth support has been available on a number of Ford vehicles since its introduction this year, but the software update (G1 V3.2.2) extends the functionality to supported a number of bluetooth equipped smartphones to allow users to hear SMS, MMS and email messages over the stereo. The update is set to roll out later this month and you can get all the details in the press blast below the fold.
Continue reading Ford extending MAP text support to more models
Ford extending MAP text support to more models originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord and Bug Labs partner on open-source in-car platform
Filed under: Technology, Ford, Infotainment
Ford has quite the presence at this year's TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco. Not only did it bring out the Spotify crew to hack together the streaming music service into SYNC, but it's announced a partnership with Bug Labs to develop an open source infotainment platform for vehicles.
Bug Labs has been in the business of developing and supplying open source software and hardware for mobile devices, and the company is joining together with Ford to collaborate on an in-car research platform dubbed OpenXC. The partnership aims to bring the plug-and-play platform to vehicles, allowing developers to create new functionality that taps into everything from audio alerts to safety devices - but with limits, obviously.
The demo Ford and Bug Labs showed off in SF was a prototype system setup as a social, fuel economy game that lights up a series of LEDs when you're being eco-conscious with the throttle. It's not particularly mind-blowing, but seeding the software and hardware to devs means the next great in-car innovation could come from an unlikely source. Full details in the press blast below the fold.
Continue reading Ford and Bug Labs partner on open-source in-car platform
Ford and Bug Labs partner on open-source in-car platform originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSpotify coming to Ford, in hack form
Filed under: Technology, Ford, Infotainment
With the flurry of hype surrounding the launch of Spotify in the U.S., it was just a matter of time before the streaming music provider partnered with an automaker. And today is that day. Well... Sort of.
The Spotify crew is working with the SYNC API at today's TechCrunch Disrupt Hack-a-Thon to integrate with the AppLink system. It's not an official partnership, but it is the first step in bringing the service into the car.
Spotify coming to Ford, in hack form originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsDetailed: Evos Concept foretells Ford’s future [w/video]
Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Coupe, Hybrid, Technology, Ford, Design/Style
In the past few years, Ford hasn't done too many high-style concepts. Most of its design studies have generally been previews of a future production model, with a few recent and distant exceptions. But the Ford Evos Concept stands apart.
Unveiled last evening and previewed here in Berlin, Germany ahead of its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Evos is the next step in the One Ford strategy, creating a new global styling language to go along with its new global architectures. Whereas the outgoing Kinetic design was a stylistic turning point for Ford, debuting in Europe and then slowly making its way to the States in the form of the Fiesta and Focus, the Evos is a clear picture of the future face of a global Ford. And while we won't see a production model based on this 2+2, Ford's head of design, J Mays, says we'll be seeing the first roadgoing example of this new styling not in four years, but in a scant four months.
Continue reading Detailed: Evos Concept foretells Ford's future [w/video]
Detailed: Evos Concept foretells Ford's future [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsKen Block releases first teaser of Gymkhana 4
Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Ford, Specialty, Racing
The relentless Gymkhana hype-machine is ramping up yet again and the first teaser is officially upon us.
Ken Block's Hybrid Function Hoon Machine will play the lead roll in Gymkahana 4 and we get a brief (and appropriately loud) taste of the turbocharged rally machine's anti-lag system. Nine GoPro cameras catch the two-foot-long flame projecting out the Ford's titanium exhaust, and you can get your first taste after the jump before the real show begins on Tuesday.
Continue reading Ken Block releases first teaser of Gymkhana 4
Ken Block releases first teaser of Gymkhana 4 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord slashes Sync price by $100, coming to all models in three years
Filed under: Safety, Technology, Ford, Infotainment
With Ford stepping up to become the first automaker to support the Safe Drivers Act of 2011, the Blue Oval is putting its money where its mouth is by dropping the price of its Sync system from $395 to $295.
The updated pricing will extend first to the 2012 Explorer and Edge, and will be available on all trim levels of the Edge, with the SEL, Limited and Sport models coming standard with the system and the SE now available with Sync as an option. The pricing will later extend to the 2013 Escape, Flex, Focus and Taurus.
In addition to the standard infotainment and navigation functions, Ford is touting the hands-free capabilities of Sync as a safety feature, along with 911 Assist and the Sync Services subscription plan which includes turn-by-turn directions, traffic reports and business searches, all of which can be performed without ever taking your eyes off the road.
Ford plans to make Sync and the new pricing strategy available on every North American model by 2014, and expect a host of upgrades and refinements to happen in the process. Hit the jump for the full details.
Continue reading Ford slashes Sync price by $100, coming to all models in three years
Ford slashes Sync price by $100, coming to all models in three years originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsOnNotice? Ford beta-testing live operators through Sync
Filed under: Technology, Ford, Lincoln, Infotainment
Sync Services - Ford's lesser-known on-demand, voice-activated news and information service - has begun running a very OnStar-like beta. The new system allows registered Sync customers to connect with a live operator to fulfill business searches and address entry, but don't think of it as a replacement for the standard cadre of voice-activated features.
Ford has found that 70 percent of all Sync Services calls are for business searches and address input, and in the latter's case, the system is best used if Sync's voice-translation function doesn't input the proper address. All owners have to do to use the service is ask for "Operator" and the Live Operator Assistance feature connects them with a living, breathing human being. Addresses can be sent to the car for turn-by-turn navigation, along with POI searches, and for the time being, it's free for all Sync Services customers. Make the jump for the full details.
Continue reading OnNotice? Ford beta-testing live operators through Sync
OnNotice? Ford beta-testing live operators through Sync originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsPandora comes to Scion, more Ford models
Filed under: Technology, Ford, Lincoln, Scion, Infotainment
Pandora's footprint just got a little larger with the announcement that Scion will be integrating the Internet radio service into its vehicles later this year.
Toyota's youth division hasn't said what models will benefit from the new Pandora setup, but most higher-spec tC, xB and forthcoming iQ models should come with a Pandora-enabled head unit.
Pandora also took the time during its Analyst Day in San Francisco to announce that the streaming service will be available in 10 Ford vehicles and two Lincoln products, expanding Pandora's reach further into the FoMoCo line up and joining BMW and Mini in the process. And this is just the start. Expect to see General Motors, Hyundai and Toyota models equipped with Pandora integration later this year.
Continue reading Pandora comes to Scion, more Ford models
Pandora comes to Scion, more Ford models originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord named in patent infringement case over SYNC, safety systems
Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology, Ford, Lincoln
Eagle Harbor Holdings has named Ford in a lawsuit, contending that the automaker infringed on seven of its patents after talks between the two companies stalled out in 2008 - and the claimed infringements strike right at the heart of Ford's recent tech expansion.
In addition to claiming that Ford cribbed its technology for Active Park Assist, Stability Control, Blind Spot Information with Cross Traffic Alert and MyKey, the small Bainbridge Island, WA tech firm claims that the technology behind Ford's incredibly popular SYNC infotainment system. Specifically, the voice control and remote MP3 player connection technology.
According to Eagle:
"Our representatives began meeting with Ford in 2002 to discuss and disclose our patented automotive systems technology and its applicability for use in Ford vehicles," said Jeffrey Harmes, general counsel for Eagle Harbor Holdings, LLC. "These meetings continued until 2008, when Ford stopped communications with us. In early 2009 we informed Ford that its automotive audio systems infringed on our patents. In March 2010, we again informed Ford that its automotive electronics systems, including Ford SYNC, infringed on our patents. Unfortunately, despite our many efforts to communicate with Ford and resolve these issues, Ford continues to refuse to license its use of our patented technology. Ford is ignoring our patent rights and continues to use, without permission or license, Eagle Harbor's technology."
Those talks also included Volvo - at the time, owned by Ford Motor Company - but it's unclear if Eagle will pursue the recently sold Swedish automaker for similar tech infringement.
A Ford spokesperson tells Autoblog, "We were just served with this lawsuit late last week and we have not yet had an opportunity to review the details. We believe it would be premature for us to comment until we have had a chance to do so."
It's unlikely that Ford will have to stop production of its SYNC and advanced safety-equipped vehicles, but if Eagle wins the suit or settles out of court, we wouldn't be surprised to learn of the Blue Oval cutting a hefty check.
Ford named in patent infringement case over SYNC, safety systems originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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