Alright, I hate to even bring up the F-word on this forum, but Ford has outdone GM to this point with the new technology of Microsoft SYNC being offered in their vehicles today. I just purchased a 2008 Ford Edge for my wife andSYNC was one of the primary reasons for getting this vehicle (And YES, I still have my '07 Tahoe - don't crucify me yet). I can tell you first hand that the voice activated features of SYNC are incredible. Push a button on the steering wheel andtell SYNCto call anyone on your bluetooth enabled mobile phone contacts list. Push the button again and tell the system to play any song, artist, playlist, etc. on yourMP3 player connected to the systemvia USB. The onboard computer system is completely upgradable by simply plugging in a USB flash drive into the vehicle with the updates downloaded from the web. And Microsoft just added a system update with '911 Assist' (read below) which will automatically call 911 in the event that the airbags deploy. In my opinion, this type of phone/media/bluetooth interface should bestandard in all vehicles. So I thought I'd open up some discussions on this techonology and ask the question: why has GMstuck with OnStar for so long which is a service you actually have to pay for, and not yet teamed up with a big namecompany like Microsoft to bringall of usGM/Tahoe owners this type of interface? The technology is there, GM just needs to get on board or they will be left in the dust...[/align][/align][/align](Article below, courtesy of the Ford Edge Forum)[/align][/align]POPULAR FORD SYNC SYSTEM UPDATED, EXPANDED; ‘911 ASSIST’ CONNECTS EMERGENCY MEDICAL HELP



* Ford-Microsoft SYNC system to be available in nearly all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles later this year
* New “911 Assist” feature will help quickly connect vehicle occupants directly to a local 911 emergency operator following an air bag deployment in a SYNC-equipped vehicle – with no monthly fees
* Since SYNC is updatable, customers with 2008-model-year SYNC-equipped vehicles will be able to have their systems improved with the new applications

FORD EDGE FORUM – Ford Motor Company and Microsoft announce today that the award-winning Ford SYNC™ in-car connectivity system will be available to even more customers and with even more functionality later this year.

In his keynote address at the 2008 International CES in Las Vegas, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced that Ford will expand SYNC to nearly all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars and trucks by the end of 2008. Gates also confirmed a new “911 Assist” feature that will help drivers connect with emergency assistance in the event of an air bag deployment.

Introduced in the fall of 2007 and developed jointly by Ford and Microsoft, SYNC provides customers the convenience and flexibility to bring digital media players – Apple iPods, Microsoft Zunes and other MP3 players – and Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones into their vehicle and operate the devices via voice commands or with the buttons on the steering wheel or radio.

SYNC has been very popular. The new technology – which is exclusive to Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles – topped 30,000 unit sales in its first three months on the market. In fact, Ford says SYNC is on track to reach 1 million sales in early 2009.

The technology is available today on 12 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. Later this year, it will be offered on nearly every new Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle.

In addition to the new 911 Assist feature, SYNC is being updated this year to create, on demand, easy-to-understand reports that owners can use to monitor the health of their vehicles.

Because SYNC is a software solution, owners of 2008 models equipped with SYNC already on the road will be able to have their systems updated with the new functions, as well.

“From the start, we pursued an updatable software solution with SYNC, using the consumer electronics business as our model,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development. “The ability to add functionality and update the system to work with new devices is what makes SYNC unique in the industry right now. It is a strategy that will benefit our customers over time by ensuring their systems do not become outdated.”

911 Assist
Research shows that safety continues to be a leading driver of purchase consideration, and Ford is already a safety leader. In fact, Ford Motor Company has earned more National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) five star safety ratings and more Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Picks than any other manufacturer.

But, in the event of a serious accident with an air bag deployment, the ability to directly contact the local 911 emergency operator could be a critical need – for both vehicle occupants and the first responders. Beginning later this year, SYNC can help.

When a phone is properly paired, turned on and connected to SYNC – which is designed to happen every time the driver enters the vehicle with his or her cell phone – the system will be ready to assist in placing a call to a local 911 emergency operator should an air bag-deploying accident occur.

Before initiating the emergency 911 call, SYNC will provide a 10-second window to allow the driver or passenger to decide whether to cancel the call. If not manually cancelled within the 10-second window, SYNC will place the emergency call. A pre-recorded message will play when the call is answered, and occupants in the vehicle will then be able to communicate directly with the 911 operator.

“Being connected means being able to get the help you need, when you need it,” Kuzak said. “With SYNC, and specifically with the 911 Assist feature, we will be providing our customers an extra layer of security and peace of mind.”

The key advantage of SYNC 911 Assist is speed, as calls are placed directly to local 911 operators. A SYNC-assisted call should reach 911 operators faster than competitive systems, as there are no handoffs and no need to speak to a call-center operator. Further, there is no additional monthly fee for this feature, as SYNC utilizes a customer’s existing mobile phone.

Once the call is connected, 911 operators can respond to the situation exactly as they would with any 911 call. Emergency services can even determine the medical priority and dispatch the appropriate assistance based on the situation. If necessary – if vehicle occupants are non-responsive, for example – the location of the vehicle can be determined through voice-signal triangulation or, on some phones, the GPS location feature.

The new SYNC 911 Assist feature is expected to be high on every “customer want” list. It will become available later this year, and earlier SYNC software and vehicles will be updatable to support this additional application.

Vehicle Health Reports
Properly maintaining vehicles can save time, money and improve customers’ ownership experiences. Later this year, with SYNC’s added functionality, staying up to speed with a vehicle’s maintenance needs will be easier than ever.

Using the SYNC website (www.syncmyride.com), customers will be able to set up personal preferences for Vehicle Health Report (VHR). Once established, a report can be requested at any time, at no cost, using simple voice commands.

In creating a health report, SYNC will gather relevant information from the major vehicle control modules and send that information to Ford via an 800-number using the customer’s paired and operable mobile phone. The whole process, which in some vehicles will include a routi

 

Since it's Microsoft, I've gotta ask, does it have a provision for the three-finger salute (Control-Alt-Delete) when you get the "blue screen of death"? [sm=happybounce.gif][sm=icon_rofl.gif][sm=icon_rofl.gif][sm=icon_rofl.gif]

 

As much as I hate to admit it OnStar is the Achilles heel of GM right now.
GM will not offer Blue Tooth in its vehicles because they want you to use (and pay for) OnStar’s Personal Calling feature. Many of GM’s hot new models (Malibu for one) will not offer a Navigation system as an option, yep you guessed it GM wants to encourage you to use (and pay for) OnStar’s Turn-by-Turn Navigation subscription service.


With that said there is serious flaw in integrating a Microsoft product into a vehicle and that is obsolescence pure and simple, and currently nothing has a shorter technical life span then a personal hand-held device or operating system, I know that the Sync system software can be updated but it is the technology within the unit that becomes outdated and then there’s the whole Microsoft support issue that is sure to plague owners of these Ford products.

 

Yea.. Microsoft sure seems like a bad idea in its own right... I have one of them PDA's that can't even sign on to a bank that uses Java and it sure doesn't seem updatable by MS without getting the latest phone. They aren't updating your device to the latest mobile windows version. Mine is the PPC-6700. I'd have to buy another vendors product to fix it. But it sure sounds pretty neat. Hopefully Ford is successful with it and GM has to follow or lose out.

And just like GM the Nav radio I want, the Kenwood, has stripped out Garmin's BlueTooth so they can sell it as an add on to their Nav radio.

 

Wow! You guys are crazy. You are almost like "Don't have it lest it becomes outdated", what a crazy concept. Well if it becomes outdated and you can't use it anymore, it won't be any worse than what we have in our GM's right now.

 

Not too new. My wifes' 2002 Continental had Voice command on her car phone by Sprint. But Sprint decided for some reason about 2 years ago to discontinue that service. Was too damned expensive anyhow. And I do think that On star is not all that it is hyped up to be. My previous ride I used all of 5 minutes in the 1st year.

 

The My Ford Touch makes anything from GM look like an etch-a-sketch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrLdMi_r7-Q

I'd sell my Tahoe today if they put this in a 4 door Raptor...

 

I would have gotten a Ford Expedition over the Suburban I have now...IF NOT for the fact I didn't like the look of the Expedition. Otherwise, the tech in the Ford really surpasses pretty much what I have in the Suburban STOCK (that is the reason I didn't stick with stock).

 

agreed; the current expedition is too truck like inside, and boxy outside... the 2012 may prove to be new...

I like the raptor... bad add 6.2L on 35" tires... now all it needs is the Touch and I'm set to trade mine in TODAY...

 

I am thinking of writing GM a letter. I was able to get a 2010 Ford F150 with Sync. I picked this truck up in Sept. I would have thought nothing of comparing the two until now.
I have been using the sync daily in my work truck. I bought a 2009 6.2l Tahoe LTZ. 52k.
I just did a family road trips 2400 miles round trip. I wa trying to play the ipod. It sucks to try to find a sing on the ipod.
The sync. You press the steering wheel button and say Play track Born free or Play artist kid rock.
Call Carl and it will call this person.
GM is way behind here. I am a true GM man. Current (Tahoe, C6 Z06, Impala) Had numerous tahoe's and vette's.......But the seats in the ford and the syce kicks ***!!!!!!
My wifes Ihone was about to die. No way to charge it. I dont have a cig to Iphone adapter just a ipod adapter..
Like mentioned.. You can upload the complete phone book. etc....
I am thinking about a CTS-v. Can you say play a song on the CTS-v media (I-phone/Ipod) and it will play??????

My rant..... Sorry. but GM please get with the program.