The Tech Innovators Series is supported by Lenovo. Lenovo does not just manufacture technology. They make Do machines — super-powered creation engines designed to help the people who do, do more, do better, do in brand new ways.
The social networking revolution is apparently not something you can drive to. A Super Bowl ad for the Chevy Cruze showed a guy heading home from a date and then using a voice-activated version of Facebook to access his date’s status update. But that’s not a real-world technology and may never become one.
The truth is, the auto companies are gun shy about adding too many social media hooks into their vehicles. The main reason is that they could distract drivers. Opposition by transportation secretary Ray LaHood doesn’t help, either.
For four years, though, Ford and Microsoft have offered a middle ground with their Ford Sync technology. With Sync, drivers can do old-school social networking activities, like making hands-free phone calls and adjusting music via voice control, but Sync also lets you receive texts (which are read to you) and reads your tweets — activities that let drivers stay connected, but don’t distract them, according to Ford. The technology is now in 2.5 million cars, trucks and crossovers.
Scott Monty, global digital and multimedia communications manager at Ford, says Sync is a combination of “the built-in, beamed-in and brought in.” The “brought in” refers to your device. If you have an iPhone, for instance, you can sync it up via Bluetooth, though Sync doesn’t transcribe those texts as of yet. The “beamed in” refers to services like traffic reports, which are provided through the system. Voice-activated radio controls are “built-in.”
Ford co-developed Sync with Microsoft and used Nuance Communications’ voice-recognition technology. Initially, Sync was only in one vehicle, the 2008 Focus. One primary appeal of the $395 option (now it’s $295) was the ability to voice control your iPod, which immediately upgraded the standard commuter options of a CD and radio (even satellite radio.) Of course, using the auxiliary input for your iPod or iPhone is now standard, but without voice control, you either have to wait until a stop to change the music or attempt to do it while driving, causing a hazard to yourself and other drivers.
Chris Cedregen, managing director for Iceology, a market research firm, says Sync was an immediate hit, which had a halo effect on the Focus. “It brought the car to a younger audience, which is hard to do,” he says. Cedregen adds that consumers continue to be enamored with Sync. “It’s amazing how often [Ford owners] rave about Sync without being asked,” he says. “They like the connectivity.”
Of course, Ford isn’t the only automaker to realize this. General Motors has offered OnStar as an option in vehicles since the mid-1990s. Like Sync, OnStar is voice-activated, but Todd Turner, principal of auto consultancy Car Concepts, says OnStar appeals to an older customer that is happy pressing a button rather than trying to sync up their phone. Such customers often have issues with Sync. “It’s a user training issue,’ Turner says. “Once people are familiar with it, they like it, but with the older demo, it takes a bit longer.” (As the Chevy Cruze Super Bowl ad demonstrates, GM is looking into adding social media functionality to OnStar.) Turner says that Sync’s appeal to a younger demo puts Ford in a better position than GM.
Appealing to a younger demo is tricky business these days, though. The average twenty-something is no doubt eager to be able to access Facebook in their car, but that’s not going to be an option on Sync anytime soon. Monty says that reading tweets are a different story, since they don’t require that much concentration, but “a Facebook update could be a lot longer.”
Of course, one could argue that Sync itself provides plenty of distraction to drivers, to which Monty says, in effect, get real. In 2011, drivers are likely to be answering calls, texting and trying to listen to music anyway. With Sync, at least they’re doing all that while keeping their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. “Our first priority is the safety of our driver,” says Monty. “We know texting goes on in vehicles. If we can provide an alternative, we’ve met our goal.”
Series Supported by Lenovo
The Tech Innovators Series is supported by Lenovo. Lenovo makes machines specifically for the innovators. The creators. The people who move the world forward. Machines like the Lenovo ThinkPad and IdeaPad, meticulously engineered with visibly smart second-generation Intel® CoreTM processors to help the people who do, do what’s never been done.
More About: cars, ford sync, Tech Innovators SeriesFor more Tech & Gadgets coverage:Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:17:28 +0000 at http://mashable.com/2011/09/01/ford-sync/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/09/01/ford-sync/#comments
The social networking revolution is apparently not something you can drive to. A Super Bowl ad for the Chevy Cruze showed a guy heading home from a date and then using a voice-activated version of Facebook to access his date’s status update. But that’s not a real-world technology and may never become one.
The truth is, the auto companies are gun shy about adding too many social media hooks into their vehicles. The main reason is that they could distract drivers. Opposition by transportation secretary Ray LaHood doesn’t help, either.
For four years, though, Ford and Microsoft have offered a middle ground with their Ford Sync technology. With Sync, drivers can do old-school social networking activities, like making hands-free phone calls and adjusting music via voice control, but Sync also lets you receive texts (which are read to you) and reads your tweets — activities that let drivers stay connected, but don’t distract them, according to Ford. The technology is now in 2.5 million cars, trucks and crossovers.
Scott Monty, global digital and multimedia communications manager at Ford, says Sync is a combination of “the built-in, beamed-in and brought in.” The “brought in” refers to your device. If you have an iPhone, for instance, you can sync it up via Bluetooth, though Sync doesn’t transcribe those texts as of yet. The “beamed in” refers to services like traffic reports, which are provided through the system. Voice-activated radio controls are “built-in.”
Ford co-developed Sync with Microsoft and used Nuance Communications’ voice-recognition technology. Initially, Sync was only in one vehicle, the 2008 Focus. One primary appeal of the $395 option (now it’s $295) was the ability to voice control your iPod, which immediately upgraded the standard commuter options of a CD and radio (even satellite radio.) Of course, using the auxiliary input for your iPod or iPhone is now standard, but without voice control, you either have to wait until a stop to change the music or attempt to do it while driving, causing a hazard to yourself and other drivers.
Chris Cedregen, managing director for Iceology, a market research firm, says Sync was an immediate hit, which had a halo effect on the Focus. “It brought the car to a younger audience, which is hard to do,” he says. Cedregen adds that consumers continue to be enamored with Sync. “It’s amazing how often [Ford owners] rave about Sync without being asked,” he says. “They like the connectivity.”
Of course, Ford isn’t the only automaker to realize this. General Motors has offered OnStar as an option in vehicles since the mid-1990s. Like Sync, OnStar is voice-activated, but Todd Turner, principal of auto consultancy Car Concepts, says OnStar appeals to an older customer that is happy pressing a button rather than trying to sync up their phone. Such customers often have issues with Sync. “It’s a user training issue,’ Turner says. “Once people are familiar with it, they like it, but with the older demo, it takes a bit longer.” (As the Chevy Cruze Super Bowl ad demonstrates, GM is looking into adding social media functionality to OnStar.) Turner says that Sync’s appeal to a younger demo puts Ford in a better position than GM.
Appealing to a younger demo is tricky business these days, though. The average twenty-something is no doubt eager to be able to access Facebook in their car, but that’s not going to be an option on Sync anytime soon. Monty says that reading tweets are a different story, since they don’t require that much concentration, but “a Facebook update could be a lot longer.”
Of course, one could argue that Sync itself provides plenty of distraction to drivers, to which Monty says, in effect, get real. In 2011, drivers are likely to be answering calls, texting and trying to listen to music anyway. With Sync, at least they’re doing all that while keeping their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. “Our first priority is the safety of our driver,” says Monty. “We know texting goes on in vehicles. If we can provide an alternative, we’ve met our goal.”
Series Supported by Lenovo
The Tech Innovators Series is supported by Lenovo. Lenovo makes machines specifically for the innovators. The creators. The people who move the world forward. Machines like the Lenovo ThinkPad and IdeaPad, meticulously engineered with visibly smart second-generation Intel® CoreTM processors to help the people who do, do what’s never been done.
More About: cars, ford sync, Tech Innovators SeriesFor more Tech & Gadgets coverage:Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:17:28 +0000 at http://mashable.com/2011/09/01/ford-sync/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/09/01/ford-sync/#comments