Teaming with Microsoft on the 2008 introduction of SYNC, Ford Motor Company ushered affordable mobile technology into the OEM mainstream. Now offered on a dozen or more Ford products, SYNC has allowed almost any mobile phone and some media players to be brought into a SYNC-enabled vehicle and used via steering wheel, radio controls, touch screen, and voice commands.
For 2010, SYNC will make the car another iPhone accessory. With SYNC Open API, Ford allows outside developers access to SYNC, enabling it to support an increasing number of third-party iPhone applications, available through Ford’s own app store. Ford has also introduced SYNC in-car WiFi, used in conjunction with a customer provided cellular data card, effectively turning the car into a mobile hot-spot.