- Ford SYNC® AppLink™ – Ford’s smartphone
app connectivity technology – is driving new consumer experiences
through developer program and global hackathons
- ExxonMobil, Samsung, DriverScore, Sygic
and Dash Radio are latest AppLink developers delivering innovations
in mobile payments, wearables, usage-based insurance, navigation
and entertainment
- Global hackathons stimulate innovative
ideas; most recent hackathon-winning team integrated IBM Watson
technology – showcasing potential for digital assistant
integration
Paying for gas without leaving the car, projecting a navigation
map from your smartphone to the in-car touch screen, and using a
new app that could help you lower vehicle insurance rates are all
now possible thanks to Ford SYNC® AppLink™ software.
Ford Motor Company is today announcing cutting-edge innovations
with ExxonMobil, Samsung, DriverScore, Sygic and Dash Radio to
enable customers to have a more enjoyable, productive and
convenient time behind the wheel.
These new experiences demonstrate the power of Ford SYNC AppLink
to integrate the latest in technology trends – mobile payments and
navigation, wearables, usage-based insurance and streaming music –
with the car.
And to drive creation of even more experiences, Ford is
conducting global hackathons to introduce its Ford Developer
Program to software programmers – giving them access and tools to
turn their apps, or even just their ideas, into reality.
The latest innovation to come from a Ford hackathon is
integration of IBM Watson – showcasing the potential to provide
customers with access to voice-controlled digital assistants in the
car.
Digital assistants
This year’s hackathon winner leveraging IBM Watson technology –
a machine-learning, question-answering system – shows that with
AppLink, Ford is well positioned to capitalize on the popularity
and capability of cloud-based digital assistants, which are on the
rise.
Watson uses natural language processing and machine learning to
reveal insights from large amounts of unstructured data. Drivers
can easily control the Watson app using their vehicle’s touch
screen, steering wheel controls and voice capability. If developed
into a consumer offering, it could ultimately serve as a
comprehensive in-vehicle assistant that addresses requests ranging
from “What’s the weather like?” to “What’s on my calendar?” to
“Where’s the nearest restaurant?”
The Watson app uses the voice pass-through capabilities of both
AppLink and other SYNC tools that provide access to vehicle fuel
level. When fuel is low, the app issues a verbal alert and suggests
nearby gas stations along the vehicle route. Working exclusively
with Ford SYNC, it combines unique machine-learning capabilities to
answer questions more effectively over time.
“The abundance of new apps we’re seeing is a direct result of
the ease and flexibility of the SYNC AppLink platform for
connecting with new technology,” said Doug VanDagens, director Ford
Connected Vehicle and Services. “Digital assistants are a big trend
because they provide in-vehicle convenience while letting drivers
keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.”
The Ford hackathon was held in September as part of the
company’s annual SYNC AppLink Developer Conference – in conjunction
with CTIA Super Mobility 2016™ in Las Vegas. Submissions and
participation came from across the globe, including the United
States, Canada, Dominican Republic, United Kingdom, India and
Brazil.
“Though the app is still a prototype, we’re really excited
because we think it has the potential to deliver a lot of value to
consumers,” said Dean Phillips, lead developer on the team, which
was comprised of IBM employees. “SYNC 3 and AppLink provide an easy
way for developers to modify and build applications to work in
vehicles seamlessly, without causing driver distraction.”
Mobile navigation
In-car navigation is made easier as Ford offers a new feature to
project navigation apps from the smartphone to the vehicle’s SYNC 3
touch screen.
Using a smartphone paired to the vehicle via USB cable, control
of the Sygic app is removed from the smartphone. The app is
automatically projected to the vehicle touch screen and linked to
voice control. The feature works to help make navigation apps
better by reducing drivers’ urges to pick up and look at their
mobile devices.
For more information, click here.
Mobile payments
Ford and ExxonMobil introduce a new e-commerce app that helps
make the chore of refueling and payment faster, easier and more
secure. The feature comes as mobile commerce continues to gain
traction, with growth in on-the-road purchases from 2013 through
2016 projected to be 42 percent, according to a May Forbes
article.
Leveraging ExxonMobil’s Speedpass+™, an automated payment system
now available for Ford SYNC 3, drivers can use voice commands to
search for and find participating Exxon Mobil stations, as well as
pay for fuel.
To find out more about Ford’s Speedpass+ integration, click
here.
Ford first introduced a mobile payment app in 2014 when it
worked with Domino’s Pizza® to add AppLink compatibility for its
app – making the technology capable of placing a pizza order using
a few simple voice commands.
Usage-based insurance
With insurance premiums on the rise nationwide, Ford introduces
DriverScore – the first smartphone app to create a personalized
driving score based on individual driving behavior that can lead to
lower insurance rates.
Other usage-model insurance programs are based on performance of
a vehicle, which often can have multiple drivers, so the driving
behavior reported back to an insurance company isn’t personalized.
Some other programs require raw vehicle data and driving
performance data be shared with insurance carriers – information
you might prefer to keep to yourself.
Developed by IVOX™, DriverScore users share what they want, when
they want. Only the score is shared, not the specific data points.
DriverScore accesses vehicle data for consumers’ direct benefit.
The user can agree to let the app’s sophisticated algorithm access
vehicle data to objectively analyze driving patterns. The app takes
into account speed, acceleration, braking, location and time of
day.
For details about the DriverScore app, click here.
Wearables
With the popularity of wearable devices on the rise, Ford is
offering vehicle integration to help make life more convenient and
personalized.
Samsung Gear S2 and S3 smartwatch owners will soon be able to
integrate their smartwatches to their Ford SYNC system for
convenient parking and alerts that help them remain attentive in
the car. The feature acts as an easy-to-use digital assistant that
sends helpful prompts right to your wrist.
The integration will include logging vehicle location upon
parking and navigation back to the parking spot. It will help
ensure attentiveness by sending audible chimes and voice alerts at
intervals convenient to the driver.
For further details, click here.
Streaming music
Launching soon, Dash Radio – the biggest all-original digital
radio broadcasting platform in the world – will soon be accessible
to consumers via an app on their SYNC touch screen. Running 24/7
and commercial-free, Dash Radio features more than 80 stations and
more than 300 top DJs, artists and figures in the entertainment
business. Dash Radio is available for free in an easy-to-use
interface.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company
based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 203,000 employees and 62
plants worldwide, the company’s core business includes designing,
manufacturing, marketing and servicing a full line of Ford cars,
trucks and SUVs, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. To expand its
business model, Ford is aggressively pursuing emerging
opportunities with investments in electrification, autonomy and
mobility. Ford provides financial services through Ford Motor
Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its
products and services, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
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Ford Motor CompanyAlan Hall734.845.4410ahall32@ford.com
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