Technology has become a huge part of our lives and many of us rely on our cell phones on a daily basis for a lot more than just placing simple phone calls. Smart phones allow us to post on Twitter, find directions, surf the net and keep in contact with all of our friends. The same internet and social media connectivity can be found in many of today’s car infotainment systems. Most modern infotainment systems have integrated smart phone use with their car’s infotainment system and allow the driver to control a myriad of functions from one command center.
Entertainment is at the forefront of today’s infotainment systems. Let’s face it now; just about everybody owns an iPod nowadays and consumers want the ability to bring their tunes along on the road. Most modern systems allow drivers to do just that by using USB compatibility.
One car company with a very intuitive and well designed system is Toyota. Their system is called Entune and has the ability to provide passengers with sport scores, news and navigation all via voice command. Entune is priced significantly higher than Ford’s Sync system; costs is $1,050 which is significantly more than Ford’s Sync.
Let’s take a look at Ford’s Sync system; a few changes have been made to SYNC for 2012. The newest addition to the Sync system on-demand NPR news. This feature allows the user to create playlists featuring their favorite NPR programs. Programs can also be accessed via category such as politics or news. SYNC is currently the most One of the affordable system on the market; pricing starts at just $295.
Another new feature added to SYNC is the ability to read incoming text messages out loud. This is a very revolutionary feature because it allows the user to stay connected without having to fumble for their phone and taking their eyes away from the road.
For 2012, Ford is making Applink available on 10 of its vehicles including the F-150, Expedition and Mustang Shelby GT-500. Applink allows the user to utilize smart phone apps such as Pandora internet radio and Stitcher radio by using voice commands. This enables the user to keep his or her hands on the wheel. There is also an app that allows the driver to receive incoming Tweets and Twitter status updates.
All of this technology is great but it’s still important to focus on the road ahead at all times. For safety’s sake; the focus should always be on driving. It will be interesting to see where technology will take us next.