In NASCAR, three manufacturers are represented: Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota. Much of why the manufacturers are there is to 'Win on Sunday -- sell on Monday'. Yet only one of them has the top-of-the-line Wi-Fi in their everyday models: Ford.
When it comes to driving while you're on the move, voice-controlled technology in your car is important as both an innovative ease of use plus the obvious safety feature of hands-free controls. Ford delivers an efficient program with the SYNC system and now more than ever before gives you AppLink options in entertainment while in your car.
In case you're not aware, SYNC is a factory-installed fully-integrated entertainment and communications system for Ford automotive products and first came onto the market in 2007. The system offers hands-free cell use along with entertainment such as music and is run on a Windows operating platform designed by Microsoft using Bluetooth technology connecting to your mobile phone. SYNC is essentially offered in all Ford Motor Company vehicles as of 2012.
The latest AppLink apps include Aha Radio with its some 30,000 channels of music, where you can integrate your phone experience into your automotive enjoyment. They also now include Rhapsody, the long-time online music store that has seen its mobile uploads balloon this past year. Interestingly, Rhapsody had not partnered with any automotive company until now. Another new app is the addition of Kaliki, which was brought onboard at the beginning of 2013 with Ford to integrate into their news reading system.
Other new apps include news sources like Wall Street Journal and USA Today, plus BeCouply which is a cool app that finds ideas for places to go when you're on a date. Another new app is Glimpse, which sends your vehicles location, GPS-wise, to any and everybody you know (source: Motor Trend).
Clearly not everyone has a Ford plus this type of technology needs LCD and navigational systems to work properly. However, the AppLink structure offers those with later model Fords the ability to use some very cool features. For instance, Amazon MP3 recently added support for Android with an app (version 2.8) that allows the user to download any music, including your personal assortment from the Amazon Cloud Player -- and note that Amazon has over 22 million songs on hand. You can check out Engadget for the latest on Amazon's MP3 collection.
Remember this: using these particular apps with the almost infinite cloud will likely free up space on your mobile device for important videos or games. For later on in 2013, look for Apple's newest technology to possibly replace navigational commands with its innovative mapping system. Internationally, SYNC is available in four languages including English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, with this latest AppLink system now available in Europe.
The automobile has become much more than a vehicle getting you from point A to point B, but instead is an integral part of a driver's life, extending beyond the home, office or school. In this day and age of the connected life, the idea of car, phone and your entertainment meshing together with a safer solution like Ford's SYNC-equipped vehicles makes perfect sense.
Yes, Chevy won the latest race on the track at Daytona but the current winner as far as technology is concern in their everyday models at the dealership; Ford and their SYNC AppLink are way ahead.
Additional sources: Ford
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