When you want to know what’s “hot” in the world of technology, your best bet is to ask a college student. That’s the premise behind Ford’s latest innovation in research in their ongoing development of their SYNC system.
Rather than brainstorming ideas with their traditional R&D department, they chartered the services of a half-dozen students and professors from the University of Michigan to come up with ideas for applications they would like to see in SYNC. They are also considering creating an open-source app development system that would crowdsource much of the technology the way that Apple and Android have done with smartphone apps.
“We are going to embrace people who aren’t Ford people, and that’s something we haven’t done much of,” said Jim Farley, Group Vice President, Global Marketing for Ford.
Two of the leading contenders for development are a “Follow Me” application and an online music streaming service dubbed SYNCast.
Follow Me would allow drivers to tie in their turn-by-turn navigation with another car, giving other drivers the ability to follow a lead car without knowing what the end destination is. SYNCast would allow the audio system in SYNC-equipped Ford vehicles to stream audio from online music sources.
Ford is opening the door to these innovations while keeping in mind safety standards, such as which apps would not be accessible while driving. Otherwise, they are open to concepts that will capture “Millennials” between the ages of 13 and 29 years old. Farley believes that “they will determine the winners and losers in the United States.”
Infotainment systems have become increasingly popular and automakers as diverse as General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Lexus, and Chrysler. New Britain Jeep dealers have witnessed demand for systems that deliver entertainment and other important data. However, Ford’s system is perhaps the most unique in its use of more Web-inspired applications. Soon Hyundai’s Uvo system, which Hyundai Baltimore says is based on the similar software that runs SYNC, will debut, further adding to the infotainment craze.
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