O texto abaixo está em inglês mas vale a pena como novidade:
New Microsoft technology will allow Ford drivers to use their phones and portable devices with less distraction.
By Julie Evans
How many times have you been driving while trying to select the next song on your MP3 player? Imagine being able to say aloud, “Find Coldplay,” and from your Zune’s playlist, “Politik” starts to thrum through your car speakers.
You don’t have to imagine it for long. On Sunday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Microsoft and Ford Motor Company unveiled Sync, a new system based on Microsoft’s automotive technology. The factory-installed Sync integrates devices such as cell phones and MP3 players with the vehicle and uses steering-wheel buttons and voice controls to let drivers more safely communicate and enjoy these devices.
Ford’s Mark Fields and Microsoft’s Bill Gates announce the companies’ partnership at CES.
“Portable, digital devices are important parts of people’s lives, and we want to allow them to enjoy these safely and without distraction during the many hours they spend in the car,” said Mark Spain, director of sales, marketing, and business development for the Automotive Business Unit (ABU).
Sync is important to Microsoft. It is the company’s first such deal in North America and the first with a high-volume automaker. Last spring, Microsoft brought a similar system, “Blue & Me,” to Fiat in Europe. Spain said that technology has exceeded dealer sales projections by 300 percent.
Under the Hood
Founded 10 years ago, the Automotive Business Unit took several years to flesh out a business strategy that promised real growth, Spain said.
The business began with a “very PC approach” to the market, in which the first product, Auto PC, was distributed through retail channels. That model was flawed, Spain said, because it didn’t scale well and did not partner with the automotive industry.
“There was no incentive to automotive OEMs or their supply chain to embrace or promote it,” Spain conceded. “They saw this coming from Best Buy or [other stores], and they weren’t getting anything out of it.
“So we took a step back and started to … listen and learn about how we could bring to market technology that also helps [auto manufacturers] achieve their goals.”
Sync technology will read the text aloud through a car’s speakers and even allow drivers to reply with preset responses.
Cory Hendrixson, SDE Lead for the Auto Applications and Framework team, said one of his team’s bigger challenges has been meeting reliability requirements.
“This is software that should always work – there’s no way to reboot,” he said. While “Blue & Me” has yielded very good reliability numbers with Fiat, months of work remain to ensure the Ford product has 100 percent reliability.
Another challenge is the automotive industry cycle. It’s typically about three years from conception until a car rolls off the assembly line. Then drivers typically keep a car seven to 10 years. Contrast that with a mobile phone’s service lifespan of about 18 months.
“There’s a fundamental disparity between these two industries,” Spain said. “How does a car manufacturer have any idea what's going to be relevant … or necessary 13 years down the road? Ergo the importance of Microsoft’s platform that allows cars to be updated while they’re being manufactured as well as after consumers buy them.”
That strategy warmed Ford to the platform.
“Microsoft … technology has the potential to change our relationship with our customers,” said Graydon Reitz, Ford’s director of electrical and electronic systems engineering. He said the platform aligns with the digital lifestyles of today’s and tomorrow’s consumers, and gives Ford the chance to “layer future applications and services.”
Safety and the Future
Auto-safety statistics cite driver distraction as a leading cause of accidents, which presents another challenge.
Microsoft’s approach uses technology to minimize the distractions that exist. For example, instead of reading a text message from a phone’s small screen, Sync technology will read the text aloud through a car’s speakers and even let drivers reply with preset responses via a button on the steering wheel.
As for self-driving cars or technology such as the Lexus self-park system, Microsoft isn’t headed in that direction at this point. “We’re trying to stay on the information and entertainment side of it rather than the mechanics of running the car,” Hendrixson said.
Looking ahead, Microsoft’s 100-member auto unit envisions scenarios in which downloaded songs would wirelessly sync up to a car’s media library overnight. Speech-recognition software will enable people to compose e-mails as they drive.
And more automakers will employ technologies based on Microsoft solutions. “We’re not stopping with Ford,” Spain said. “More news like this will be forthcoming.”
Sync Features
- Voice-activated, hands-free calling: Press the “Push to Talk” button on the steering wheel, and then say the name of the person you wish to call. Sync will automatically connect with the names in the mobile phone’s contact list.
- Uninterrupted connections: No need to hang up in the middle of a cell phone call as you enter your vehicle. Touch the telephone button on the steering wheel, and Sync will instantly connect to a Bluetooth phone.
- Audible text messages: Sync will convert text messages from your phone to audio and read it out loud. The system is even smart enough to translate such commonly used text messaging expressions as “LOL” and smiley faces. Drivers can choose to reply from 20 predefined responses.
- Advanced calling features: Sync includes the same features offered on mobile phones, including caller ID, call waiting, conference calling, a caller log, a list of contacts, a signal strength icon, and a phone battery charge icon – all conveniently located on the radio’s display screen.
- Voice-activated music: Browse the music collection on your digital media player, mobile phone, or USB drive by genre, album, artist, and song title using simple voice commands, such as “Play genre Rock,” “Play <artist>,” or “Play Track <song title>.”
- Ring tone support: For supported phones, Sync will play personal ring tones. If you’ve configured unique ring tones to identify specific callers, Sync will automatically play those, too.
- Automatic phonebook transfer: Sync will automatically and wirelessly transfer all the names and numbers in a mobile phonebook.
- Multilingual intelligence: Sync is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.
