Ford gives its maps a much-needed update in the MyFord system, and stores it on SD Card.
(Credit: Ford)
LAS VEGAS - Ford built up a good cabin tech lead amongst its competitors when it adopted Sync and Sirius Travel Link in 2008, and we didn't think the company could come up with something new for CES 2010. But boy, were we wrong. Ford radically redesigned its cabin tech interface while at the same time adding new features and completely revamping its navigation systems, branding the whole shebang as MyFord.
Ford vehicles equipped with MyFord will get two 4.2-inch color LCDs, one mounted in the instrument cluster and one in the center of the dashboard. The instrument cluster display shows vehicle information such as engine speed, temperature, and trip data, and the one in the dashboard shows audio, phone, and navigation information.
This system can be upgraded to MyFord Touch, which puts the two 4.2-inch LCDs on either side of the speedometer and adds an 8-inch touch-screen LCD to the center of the dashboard.
The Ford Fusion Hybrid served as a test-bed for this new interface, as it has similar LCDs in the instrument cluster, although they don't show nearly as much information. What both allow is driver customization, letting you choose to view the tachometer as an analog gauge or as a simple bar graph, for example.
Ford's old interface was legible, but ugly.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)In designing the new interface, Ford aimed to flatten the menu structure, making it safer for drivers to choose music or place phone calls without having to dig through multiple screens. MyFord also uses a color scheme so the driver can easily see which function is on display, with orange for the phone, green for navigation, red for music, and blue for climate control. These four major menu areas also get a touch-screen button at each corner of the 8-inch LCD, letting driver or passenger quickly access each one.
Another big change involves switching map storage from hard drive to SD card. Ford had been an early adopter of onboard hard drives, which allowed quicker map access for the navigation system than DVDs could. But moving from hard drive to SD card, with a navigation application and maps from Telenav, will be cheaper to manufacture, make it easier for an owner to update the maps, and be more durable, as a hard drive is more likely to fail in an automotive environment than an SD card.
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blogLAS VEGAS--Ford Motor is making its vehicles an Internet application platform by giving drivers access to streaming media and other smartphone applications.
During a keynote on Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show, Ford CEO Alan Mulally plans to show off the latest high-tech touches to the interior of Ford vehicles, including a redesigned driver interface that will let drivers access smartphone applications through the voice-command feature of the Sync in-car software. Cars equipped with the latest Ford interface, called MyFord Touch, will be available in certain models later this year, according to Ford.
The first three available applications are the Pandora streaming music service, Stitcher news and audio service, and Twitter, said Jim Buczkowski, director of global electrical and electronics systems engineering at Ford.
The MyFord Touch user interfaces includes an eight-inch touch screen which also lets drivers use voice commands to make phone calls.
(Credit: Ford Motor)So instead of fiddling with a BlackBerry or iPhone while driving, consumers can use voice commands to navigate through the applications, he said. The connection to the ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
High-performance cars will get a nod at the North American International Auto Show next week, but electrics and hybrids will get the buzz.
Volkswagen and Toyota will show hybrid concepts; Audi, BMW, and Fiat will unveil electric concepts. Honda will show the production version of the CR-Z hybrid hatchback.
The Detroit auto show will put together many electric cars and technology in one area called Electric Avenue.
Meanwhile, the high-performance crowd will get their due with the CTS-V coupe from Cadillac and a performance sedan concept from Buick.
Mercedes-Benz will take the wraps off of the fourth variant of its new E class--a production convertible that replaces the CLK.
... Read MoreFord this week announced it is partnering with MIT's AgeLab on a project to identify specific stress-inducing driving situations, monitor a driver's reaction to the situations using biometrics, and evaluate methods to incorporate new stress-reducing features into the next generation of Ford products. The six-month effort will begin in January and will focus on human interaction with a specially equipped 2010 Lincoln MKS.
Ford's goal for the program is to take this a step further by creating the most comfortable driving environment possible so that the driver is always relaxed and calm.
By using the Lincoln MKS, MIT AgeLab researchers will have a rolling test vehicle loaded with innovations such as the Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert, Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Warning with Brake Support, MyKey, Voice-Activated Navigation, and Sync.
Since 2004, Ford and MIT's AgeLab--in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation's New England University Transportation Center--have been working to develop vehicle systems that detect the stress level of the driver at key points in time. The goal is to use the information to adjust systems in the car in ways that reduce driver stress.
An in-car HD Radio device from Jensen.
(Credit: Ibiquity Digital)Ford Motor just can't seem to get enough lately of high-tech flourishes for the dashboard.
Earlier this month, the automaker unveiled plans to integrate Wi-Fi into its Sync entertainment systems so that drivers can turn their cars into wireless Internet hot spots. On Tuesday, Ford said that starting in 2010, car buyers will be able to get a factory-installed HD Radio receiver with iTunes Tagging capabilities:
"Through the Sync system," Ford said in its press release, "iTunes Tagging will provide Ford customers with the ability to capture a song they hear on the HD Radio receiver for later purchase. With a simple push of the 'TAG' button on the radio display, the song information will be stored in the radio's memory."Up to 100 tags can be stored on Sync until the iPod is connected to receive the download of metadata. When the iPod is then synced to iTunes, a playlist of 'tagged' songs will appear. Customers then can preview and, if desired, purchase and download tagged songs from the iTunes Store."
Ford is proclaiming itself the first automaker to offer HD Radio with iTunes tagging as a factory-installed feature, but its announcement comes nearly a year after consumer electronics company JVC began touting its KD-HDR50, an in-car stereo system that comes with a built-in HD Radio tuner that incorporates iTunes Tagging.
For more on HD Radio and the gadgets that get it, see:
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
(Credit: CNET)Ford Motor's hybrid sales are up 67 percent this year, despite an overall industry slump of 11 percent, the company reported.
The carmaker sold 31,000 hybrid cars through November this year--which was higher than its previous sales record set in 2007. The company said Wednesday that it pinned part of the increase on the release of the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid. Both vehicles get 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, Ford said. The Fusion Hybrid, which was released in March, represents 45 percent of all Ford hybrid sales for 2009.
Ford's goal is to make 10 percent to 25 percent of its fleet "electrified" by 2020. That's the equivalent of 800,000 to 2 million cars. "Electrified" covers hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery-electric vehicles.
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)
(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)
Ford announced today that the next version of Sync will turn cars into rolling Wi-Fi hot spots. The user will have to supply an Internet connection in the form of a USB wireless Internet modem, which will plug into Sync's USB port in the car. Ford will add Wi-Fi hardware to Sync, setting up the car as a rolling network. The WiFi network will use WPA2 security to keep out leechers.
As current Sync-equipped cars only have one USB port, using a USB modem would eliminate the possibility of playing music through that port. Ford may have to consider adding extra USB ports to its cars.
Ford did not announce a date when this new version of Sync would come out, and also said it would be available on "select Sync-equipped vehicles," suggesting it may be limited to specific models.
(Credit:
Ford)
Ford has been working with a tactile robot arm to evaluate the feel and appearance of surfaces and controls in its vehicles in a bid to make the testing process less subjective and more scientific.
The Robotized Unit for Tactility and Haptics, or RUTH, has been used for several years at the automaker's European Research Center in Aachen, Germany, to check the interiors of the European versions of the new Focus and Fiesta, versions of which are coming to the United States in 2010.
Ford says it's the first carmaker to use a robot like RUTH, which is a modified consumer packaging arm, to scientifically test interiors. Work by the machine is now being seen in production models around the world.
To better respond to customer expectations for quality interiors, RUTH measures parameters such as roughness and temperature on points like the steering wheel, knobs and armrests.
RUTH doesn't have a driver's license yet, but it can manipulate knobs and adjust air vents in design prototypes just like a human driver. The data it collects is used by engineers to ensure controls have the right tactile resistance, firmness, uniformity and other qualities.
By using a machine, Ford can assign specific values to qualities, such as "soft," when designing interiors. Research generated by RUTH is also being used to create vehicles with a consistent look and feel.
In the minds of many American car buyers, domestic manufacturers cannot compete with many of their foreign counterparts when it comes to being environmentally-friendly and fuel efficient. But--surprise--the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid has easily eclipsed nearly all its hybrid competitors by reaching more than 40 miles per gallon both on the highway and in city driving. That's just one of many positive attributes to the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid sedan, and in this video, we get a closer look at this American hybrid vehicle.
This Web clip gives us a good look at the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid in action, and gives us the technical specs that should consider when buying any car, and not just a hybrid. This new edition of the Fusion hybrid has finally eclipsed the Toyota Camry hybrid in terms of fuel economy, and its cutting edge LCD panel can help the driver in maximizing their gas mileage in real time. In short, Ford has offered up a legitimate alternative to so-called highbrow hybrid vehicles that can convincingly run with (and possibly beat) its overseas competitors.
According to SEMA News, the 2010 Camaro is one of the most customizable vehicles on the road.
(Credit: CNET)Well, the 2010 SEMA Show is long over, but the members of the Specialty Equipment Market Association are still at work doing whatever else they do when they're not putting together banging car shows.
The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro leads the charge as the most accessory-friendly car, earning its position with its reasonable sticker price, which should leave plenty of cash in your pocket for the many styling accessories for the retro futuristic body and performance accessories for its mod-friendly LS-series V-8 engine.
The Toyota 4Runner Trail has a host of aftermarket off-roading parts available.
(Credit: Toyota)Representing for the trucks category is the Ford F-Series Super Duty, which isn't surprising considering the broad range of available power trains and an almost endless stream of accessories for both work and play. In the SUV category, the Toyota 4Runner racks up a win, partially because it is one of the last mass-produced true off-roaders available today, and there's a pretty big market for accessories that let you play in the dirt.
Finally, SEMA chose the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid for the hybrid category--because, let's face it, folks just aren't modding Priuses in a major way. Plus, the Silverado Hybrid has access to most of the styling and performance accessories of the conventional Silverado.
So, what do you think? Are these the most accessory-friendly vehicles on the market today, or has a better candidate been overlooked? Sound off in the comments with your thoughts.
(Source: SEMA News)
