Ford made several announcements about its Sync 3 AppLink connected car platform during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Podcasting company Acast will have its mobile app made available on the service. Continue Reading
Ford has announced that it will start integrating Amazon’s voice-activated Alexa system in its cars this month. Alexa is the virtual assistant popularized in Amazon’s Echo and Dot devices, and the Ford/Amazon alliance is a pointer to the future of voice-controlled car infotainment. Continue Reading
Ford and Toyota have formed the SmartDeviceLink Consortium, an alliance of car companies and software developers intended to create alternatives to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the leading suppliers of smartphone integration in dashboards. The effort hopes to bring some oxygen into a closed duopoly governed by the world’s two leading operating systems. Continue Reading
Generations of country music have played on the radios of Ford F-Series pickups over the past 60 years. The station is hosted by songwriter Otis Gibbs, who introduces songs, radio-style, and also features interviews and a live studio session performances. Companion graphics stick with the experience. Continue Reading
Toyota announced that it was joining Ford’s SDL project, an open-source solution to connecting mobile apps to digital dashboards. The initiative counters the closed systems from Google and Apple. We spoke to Scott Burnell, Global Lead of Business Development and Partner Management at Ford, for context around this announcement. Continue Reading
The digital dashboard is a gold-rush scramble for territory. But what if there were no dashboard at all? Autonomous (self-driving) cars are rolling toward us, and will be on the road sooner or later. How will audio competition be shaped when the car is a WiFi-connected living room? Continue Reading
Radio Disney has taken another step in the digitization of its programming, integrating Ford’s AppLink code in its mobile app. The result is integration with Ford’s SYNC dashboard, which gives drivers easy control of the app without touching the mobile device. As with other SYNC-enabled apps, Radio Disney’s product will be automatically located by the Ford system when the driver plugs the smartphone into the dashboard. Continue Reading
William E. Kennard will join the board of directors at Ford Motor Co. effective Jan. 1. He is a former chairman of the FCC, as well as a former U.S. Ambassador to the EU. Before entering the government, Kennard’s career covered the areas of law, telecommunications, and private equity. Continue Reading
Ford announced that it is replacing the MyFord Touch digital dashboard with a new system called Sync 3. Based on Sync AppLink, the new connected car platform is expected to first appear in 2015 Fords and Lincolns. Sync has defined Ford’s “plug-and-play in-car audio strategy, but the automaker also supports dashboard operating systems developed by Google and Apple. Continue Reading
The music industry entered a new automotive battleground. The Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies filed a lawsuit against several car companies, including General Motors and Ford Motor Company, seeking damages for vehicles equipped with what it believes are digital audio recording devices. Ford has filed a motion to dismiss the case. The argument hinges on a key definition. Continue Reading
Pandora has been growing its international audience since launching in Australia and New Zealand. That base of listeners could grow even more thanks to a partnership in the region with Ford Australia that will put the radio app in up to 60% of all new cars in 2015, according to The Music Network. Continue Reading
Ford will switch from Microsoft to BlackBerry’s QNX platform to power Ford’s SYNC digital dashboard. BlackBerry’s QNX is a major player in car dashboards. An analyst says that the loss of Ford as a client would be a “funeral ceremony” for Microsoft’s automotive operating system division. Continue Reading