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Get text messages read out to you while you drive. And reply without using your hands. What if your car dashboard becomes your mobile phone screen, offering the same features such as a caller ID, call waiting, conference calling, caller log, contact list, signal strength and battery charge?
All these are possible with its proprietary SYNC technology, says car-maker Ford.
SYNC System
Current systems in cars (such as Ford Fiesta) enable you to make and receive calls and play music using voice commands. Now, Ford, in association with Microsoft, has developed SYNC, which promises enhanced features.
This tech promises seamless connectivity that enables customers to continue their mobile phone conversation as they get into the car, without hanging up, as the system will instantly connect to the paired Bluetooth-enabled phone once the car starts.
SYNC wirelessly connects up to eight mobile phones. It automatically transfers the names and numbers in the phone’s contact list to the in-vehicle system on the dashboard. You just need to press the ‘Push to talk’ button on the steering wheel, and say the name of the person you wish to call.
SYNC can retrieve text messages and read them aloud, including popular abbreviations and emoticons such as LOL (laugh out loud) and :-D (big smile). Using voice activation, the driver can reply from a pre-determined list of 15 responses. If unique ring-tones have been selected to identify specific callers, SYNC will automatically play those too.
Introduced in North America, SYNC is installed in over 5 million Ford vehicles. With the system launching across Europe and Asia this year, Ford plans to sync 14 million cars by 2015.
Infotainment features
EcoSport, to be launched in India this year, will be the first Ford car in the country with this technology. While Ford promises to source components locally for the car, the SYNC system will be imported.
“Ford is aware of the growing importance of mobile devices within the consumer electronics industry,” said Rod Phillips, SYNC engineering manager, Ford Asia-Pacific and Africa, in an e-mail to Business Line .
“There is a growing integration of infotainment features into the vehicles’ dashboard or front console. This is true especially for both wired and wireless connectivity features such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB, as well as navigation and telematics.”
Globally, revenue from sales of automotive infotainment equipment in 2011 was estimated to be $32.5 billion. By 2016, it is expected to reach $41.2 billion. In India, the combined revenues from integrated systems of original equipment manufacturers and the after-sales market for the infotainment equipment industry are said to be Rs 500 crore.
> swetha.kannan@thehindu.co.in
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