Ford announces SYNC AppLink to go global, providing voice-activation of smart phone apps to ford customers

Ford Motor Company has announced AppLink, a feature which delivers voice control of smart phone apps from the driver’s seat, will be introduced globally as part of its voice-control and in-car connectivity system SYNC.

Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford
revealed the forthcoming innovation at Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, where he unveiled the new B-Max for the first time.

B-Max will be the first vehicle to feature SYNC in Europe. Ford will announce when AppLink will be introduced as part of the SYNC system at a future date.

“AppLink is an extremely useful and innovative addition to SYNC,” said Doug VanDagens, Ford’s Global Director of Connected Services. “We will work closely with leading developers around the world to develop apps which are compatible with SYNC AppLink and provide the best services for our customers.”

AppLink is currently available on 10 Ford vehicles in North America, and enables drivers there to access top apps including:
> Stitcher – a mobile app for streaming radio shows and podcasts directly to smart phones
> TuneIn – an app allowing users to access live local and global radio on the move
> iHeart Radio – an app that allows users to access over 800 radio stations across America
> Slacker Radio – an app that controls personalised music and information content through free and subscription radio services
> OpenBeak – an app that allows users to have Twitter updates read out to them
> Pandora – An app that allows users to voice-activate their Pandora Internet radio stream including pausing and skipping songs
> Scout by TeleNav – a new daily personal navigator that allows drivers to easily and efficiently navigate their commutes, run errands, and discover places around them
> SYNC Destinations powered by INRIX – a free app for SYNC Services users that combines with SYNC AppLink to deliver quick, on-the-go, voice-controlled access to the latest traffic reports and forecasts, travel times, turn-by-turn directions and destination downloads

The global introduction of SYNC AppLink, following a successful roll out in North America, will deliver voice-control of smart phone apps to even more Ford customers, enabling them to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while remaining connected when driving.

Ford aims to deliver voice-control compatibility with apps for a wide range of services, and is now actively seeking to partner with app developers on future opportunities as SYNC AppLink rolls out to customers globally.

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