Microsoft and Ford have unveiled a system to enable voice-activated music and telephone calls for car drivers.
Microsoft and Ford have announced that a new voice activated system will be available in 12 Ford vehicles this year. The system known as the “Sync” platform will allow drivers to activate music and telephone calls by simply saying contacts’ names or song requests in English or Spanish.
With Sync, drivers will not have to take their hands off the wheel or their eyes off the road to access some of the car’s most used features.
The partnership should prove beneficial for both companies. Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, is continuing to look for fresh markets beyond the home and office computer ones which it dominates. Ford, meanwhile, hopes that new technology will help it solve the problem of dwindling market share.
The technology was unveiled at the Detroit auto show where this year it has been trying to raise the profile of the troubled American car market. However, Sync develops technology Microsoft already provides to car manufacturer Fiat under a similar deal outside of the US.
Bill Gates says Sync will “enhance the pleasure and safety of driving”
