Ford Ties Up with Microsoft to Improve 2009 Models

Ford Motor Company is taking on a business tie-up with big-time computer technology company Microsoft Corporation.  This business enterprise is established with the aim of boosting the sales performance of Ford and enhancing the features of every Ford model to increase customer satisfaction.

The 2009 line up of Ford models, from Lincoln to Mercury, will be equipped with an innovative entertainment and communications system.  With the help of Microsoft, Ford vehicles will be capable of accommodating technologically advanced gadgets such as mobile phones and handy digital music players.  Sync, a comprehensive system based on flash memory, makes it possible for drivers and passengers to carry onboard their favorite digital gadgets.  It is operated by a Microsoft Auto system, which consists of 64 MB of DRAM, ARM 11 processor, and 256 MB of flash memory.  This new system features button controls and voice commands on the navigation console or on the steering wheel.  These commands aim to make motorists’ onboard entertainment more convenient. 

According to Ford engineers, Sync has an extensive array of technical capabilities.  One of these is its capacity to play songs from motorists’ music players using voice commands.  USB devices, iPods, Microsoft Zune, and other musical gadgets can merely be plugged into the Ford vehicle’s USB port.  Personalized voice controls can be utilized by simply setting up a command for each track on the play list.  An alternative system of command is the Sync’s set of control buttons.  A single click can easily make the motorists enjoy the kind of music they want.  Formats supported by the Sync system are AAC, MP3, PCM, WAV, and WMA.

Aside from the audio entertainment, Sync provides other forms of convenience.  Another feature of this Ford-Microsoft system is its communications capacity. One of these system’s advancements is its read-aloud feature of text messages.  Mobile phones should be linked to the vehicle’s Bluetooth connection to enable the Sync system to read out loud the text messages that arrive.  Moreover, Sync system allows motorists to make a call without clicking on number buttons.  This easy call access is possible through Sync’s voice recognition feature, which places a call simply through a voice command. 

The most impressive feature of the advanced Ford vehicles would probably be the built-in computer of the Sync system.  This computer has Windows CE software that can be upgraded once in a while for more advanced services.  Possible improvements of this computer feature include PDA-downloads and other custom applications. What makes the Sync system extremely convenient is that it can handle almost any kind of computer.

In previous years, Ford Motor Company was reported to experience a significant decline in sales, even forcing some amount of the commercial fund to drain off so as to sustain the business.  The whole concept of Ford’s vehicle innovation takes root on the company’s determination to prop up its brands and enable them to make big sales on the market.  On the other hand, this improvement, which started out merely as a pioneering way of marketing the vehicles, turned out to be a series that would initiate innovation in the automotive industry.