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As you may know, Sync is a voice-interactive system that allows for the controlling of various vehicle, phone, and music device functions via simple audible commands and buttons mounted on the steering wheel. Nowadays, it’s found on 90% of all Ford vehicles, and for most buyers, it’s a free amenity.
Late last year, engineers introduced AppLink for 2011 Fiesta owners which uses Sync to interface and control vehicle-tailored apps that reside on a mobile smartphone. (Nowadays, AppLink can be had on new 2012 Fiesta, Mustang, Fusion, Expedition, Super Duty, and F-150 models.) Have AppLink installed on a phone and users can play their favorite Pandora radio station or hear their friends’ latest tweets through Oragatame OpenBeak.
AppLink’s app portfolio only grows stronger with NPR’s involvement, explained Doug VanDagens, Ford’s global director of connected services. It’s proof-positive of how an organization can successfully use Ford’s Sync API to create a free, interactive, safe, and useful app in a short amount of time — four weeks to be exact.
“What I’m most excited about is that we’re taking what all of you have experienced on your smartphones, and have turned it into a personalized experience where you can get the data, the content, and the programming that you want at your fingertips,” VanDagens said.
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“Heretofore, if you think about it, with your FM radio and satellite radio, it’s one to many; you don’t have a choice. You’ve got to scroll through all kinds of stations, all kinds of programming options to find what you want. Now if you tune to NPR, you’ve got what is a consumer electronics smartphone experience with the world’s best content brought into the vehicle for you.” |
So what can users expect? For starters, users will be able to listen to news on their own schedule, so instances of staying in a parked car just to catch a program’s ending will be things of the past. Listeners can build playlists of specific topics like sports, science, money, etc. (so far there are 20 topics) and 25 programs like Car Talk or All Things Considered. They can also designate favorites among the hundreds of NPR member stations around the country, so both national and local news are on-demand whenever desired.
The NPR app for Ford Sync AppLink is now available for download at Blackberry, iPhone, and Android marketplaces. VanDagens revealed that retrofit kits for pre-model year 2012 vehicles will be available soon, but he didn’t have an exact timeframe or price point to give. Regardless, we like what we see, and given the relatively easy process for developers to create car-specific versions of their apps, we can’t wait to see what else is in store for AppLink.
Source: Motor Trend
