Ford's Sync, an innovative system prized by the AJAC and the Charter of the French language! (video)

Ford, together with Microsoft, developed a voice-activated, in-car communication and entertainment system for your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. Called Sync, it also works with almost every music player, including USB portable drives. As mentioned, it understands voice commands. Once your phone is configured, the system will automatically recognize it. Therefore, you can send and receive phone calls and text messages while keeping both hands on the steering wheel!

Never leave your eyes off the road!
Sync is compatible with most popular media players and file formats. You can listen to your favorite tunes by browsing through artist names, song titles, albums or music styles. For instance, if you say: "Play Genre: Jazz", Sync will automatically create a list of all files featuring jazz content. You can then scroll down the list if you're looking for a particular song. These functions can either be used with a regular MP3 player or a USB portable drive. That being said, your audio files have to be properly identified and indexed; otherwise, they'll never be found and played.


Of course, it takes some getting used to. For one, you have to get familiar with the various voice commands (read : the exact lexicon). If Sync can't recognize what you're saying or asking for, it simply won't cooperate. For example, if you want to hear a specific song, you must push the button on the steering wheel and say out loud: "USB - Play Artist - (name of artist)". Any other pronunciation or combination will generate an Error alert.

Interestingly, Sync recognizes French, English and Spanish languages. In fact, Ford paid special attention to the translation of every single voice command in French. As a result, the automaker received an award from the Charter of the French language in the Information Technology category. What's more, Sync was chosen as the Best New Technology of 2008 by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada.

New upgrades for 2009
As we speak, most 2008 Ford and Lincoln models can be equipped with Sync. Entry-level models offer it as $495 option. A new version of Sync (3.0) is about to become available with 2009 vehicles. The most significant improvement is the addition of 911 Assist: as soon as an airbag inflates, occupants are put in direct communication with emergency personnel. If they can't respond due to possible injuries, an ambulance or police car will immediately be on its way.

To make such rescue possible, Sync will integrate a GPS, much like General Motor's OnStar system. However, there will be no subscription fees to pay. Sync 3.0 will first be available with the new Ford Escape, F-150, Flex and Lincoln MKS. Pricing has yet to be announced, although a slight increase is expected.