Video: Microsoft's next-gen SYNC finds cheap gas then blows our doors off

Microsoft's and Ford's next generation SYNC has official taken us from our origin at Smittenville to the rural outpost of Gobsmacked. The new SYNC adds 911 Assist, SIRIUS Travel Link navigation, and DVD playback on a large 8- or 6.5-inch touchscreen display depending upon the guzzler you choose. The full $1,995 navigation option (or $395 for just the voice-controlled SYNC) is available exclusively on Ford's 2009 Escape, Escape hybrid, Flex, Lincoln MKS and F150 before rolling out to the rest of Ford's fleet. A new 10GB hard drive "Jukebox" has also been added which allows you to insert a CD, lookup the Gracenote CDDB info (including cover art) from the pre-installed database, and then rip the audio back to the disk if you choose. Rounding out the features are Sirius Radio (of course); aux-in and USB-in device (yes, iPods) support; voice commands; streaming audio and SMS text to voice read-out from Bluetooth enabled-phones; and several real-time, Sirius Travel Link services such as traffic data, weather detail, sports info, movies listings, and even gas prices at nearby pumps. Timely. Video walkthrough after the break.

[Via Autospies]

[DigitalSciGuy @ May 27th 2008 7:05AM]

The future has arrived in our cars!...well, a select few cars that I'll probably never buy...huzzah for context-driven content! The interface could use some re-design, however. Wonder if HUDs are within Microsoft's ongoing vision of integrated automobile computer systems...

[JAmerican @ May 27th 2008 7:15AM]

Why is it that any advertised Microsoft product must have something "rich" about it. Bill Gates and almost every M$ spokesperson calls almost every M$ product a "rich" experience.

Pretty annoying.

[Magnificen7 @ May 27th 2008 7:19AM]

Man, I would like to see Apple through a multi-touch system into a car. It would be silky sooth and beautiful. This MS thing is poorly designed, albeit with MANY great features.

[fred @ May 27th 2008 7:27AM]

Jobs says "boom" and "greatest (X) ever!". How much you want to bet that you dont find that annoying at all?

And there is no reason for "multi-touch" anything in a car. What the hell are you going to do with it when both of your hands should be on the wheel?

[Shinigami @ May 27th 2008 7:47AM]

fred
How about putting both hands on the screen, trying to rotate a picture and crop it and send it to your blog? All that while driving of course :)

[DigitalSciGuy @ May 27th 2008 7:57AM]

If you're going to do a multi-touch display, it should be the size of the entire dash, so you can play Pong with the person in the passenger's seat while you're driving. But of course, a multi-touch display would be perfect for two-fingered pinching and stretching of the map to navigate while driving.

Perhaps the accelerometers used to determine if the airbags should be deployed could be used to tell the orientation of the car during a roll-over, in which case the display could be rotated based on the orientation!

[sinai @ May 27th 2008 11:56AM]

everyone wants to be "rich." obviously.

and why is it that when some people Microsoft products, they must have a "dollar-sign" about it. mactards and stupid apple jockeys call every instance of "Microsoft" - "M$."

pretty anoying.

[wout @ May 27th 2008 7:18AM]

nice features, however we didn't see the main feature i.e. the GPS. 2D maps only?? How 90s.

Microsoft still doesn't focus enough on user experience and user interface.

[Cole Mitguard @ May 27th 2008 7:26AM]

Hey I got an idea... how bout you go find a tall bridge and jump off. How dare you come onto this site... based in America... bash an American car company, and then for some reason bring up big cars, depite the fact that this has to do with a navigation system. People like you make me sick, you believe yourself to be so well educated and open minded, yet do not see how you are little more than brain washed. Wake up buddy, we have very little to make up for here in America. Who is the number one country in the World? Where do more people still want to live? I dont know where you are from, but basically it doesn't matter, because wherever it is, I would still rather be here. We do have our problems, but whenever I get upset with the people in this country, someone like you, close minded, and full of hatred, reminds me that we have proven able to deal with our problems without lashing out at others. Get a life buddy... or take my first suggestion... either one is good for me.

[Stefan @ May 27th 2008 4:40PM]

@ Cole Mitguard
wow talk about close minded and full of hatered

[Ha Ha @ May 27th 2008 7:32AM]

http://coolio.justgotowned.com/

[bob e @ May 27th 2008 7:36AM]

I see 2 big empty text boxes, is there supposed to be something there below the first image?

[Maestro @ May 27th 2008 7:51AM]

So my '08 CTS does all of this and more. Has a 40gb HDD, Gracenote, NAV, Traffic, Weather, OnStar, iPod integration, touchscreen, dvd-audio and video...and the list goes on...

Curiously though, the system software is also made by microsoft. For some reason Ford tells everyone who will listen that Syncis a microsoft product and GM tells no one.

[computer.dude.28 @ May 27th 2008 8:36AM]

Probably so that if your car ever looks anything like my avatar, Ford can just say.. MICROSOFT DID IT!!

[Jeremy @ May 27th 2008 10:25AM]

Everytime we have one of these posts about SYNC someone says that their car does "all this and more". I have yet to see any other (stock) system allow you to voice control an iPod. That is not a small feature as evidenced by the fact that the reason why 99% of the people who know about SYNC know about it from those Ford commercials in which that is the ONLY feature advertised.

[Shinigami @ May 27th 2008 8:06AM]

- Who is the number one country in the World?
Um... China? xD
- Where do more people still want to live?
There is a place, called "Home Sweet Home", I think most people want to live there xD
Don't get mad at people just because they're bashing Americans. They just don't know Americans :)

[Dave @ May 27th 2008 8:27AM]

It sounds to me as though he was only addressing "stupid" Americans with "big cars" to "compensate for their small value of Dollar/brain/amount of knowledge of anything beyond their country/penis".

Luckily, I just have a big car.

[Dave @ May 27th 2008 2:03PM]

Hey, Engadget--how about not totally deleting posts? Censor them if you like--but don't erase them from history. Otherwise, responses to those posts, which don't get deleted, are no longer in context and make no sense.

[riggs @ May 27th 2008 8:39AM]

anyone else think he was just joking?

[generally @ May 27th 2008 9:19AM]

Does anyone else wonder why it takes any technology and features an extremely long time to actually get into consumer vehicles? This could have been done 8 years ago.

[Adrian Williams @ May 27th 2008 9:31AM]

You just gave my brain herpes

[Brad Sanders @ May 27th 2008 10:08AM]

No my question is this.. If I buy an 2008 Edge/MKX will I be able to upgrade to this functionality when its released?

[Aaron @ May 28th 2008 9:32AM]

We own a 2008 Edge and I want to know this too.

I know the update in the fall with the 911 assist and vehicle information is just an upgrade done by the USB drives.

[fomocona @ Jun 6th 2008 8:35AM]

I monitor several webpages on behalf of Ford and I wanted to clarify some points. The 2009 navigation system with Sirius Travel Link is not part of SYNC but rather it is designed to be compatible with SYNC. As stated in the Autoblog article, this whole navigation system is totally new and will initially be available only on certain 2009 vehicles.

The SYNC version 2 upgrade (911 Assist and Vehicle Health Report) to the current SYNC system will be available this fall. This upgrade does not affect the navigation system. Future SYNC versions/upgrades are still in the design stage.

Plans for exactly how the SYNC version 2 will be uploaded to your current SYNC unit have not been finalized. Further details about the SYNC upgrade will be posted at syncmyride.com as they become available.

[Pepsipoint @ May 27th 2008 10:56AM]

Eh. I live in america, and I laugh at people who buy HUGE suv gas guzzlers. I usually find them on the local news site complaining about gas prices and blaming our president. eh.

[user @ May 27th 2008 11:23AM]

This thing sucks. I will never pay for map, POI, and other updates when I can access up-to-the-minute information quickly, freely, and easily online through my cell phone.

What would really be nice is tighter integration between the cell phone and the car, so that you don't have to use your car to look up the address of the restaurant you just called on your phone. That's stupid.

[Anrew R @ May 27th 2008 12:02PM]

You mean the cell phone that you bought, accessing the network though the service plan that you pay for monthly.

You mean that kind of free?

[The New Guy @ May 27th 2008 11:49AM]

I think this is a very cool feature. Giving you gas prices...that's GOLD!!

I wonder how long it will take to get these out into other cars?? I want to buy a BMW, but i wonder if it's navi-system is nearly as involved as this one. Anyone have a 2008 335i Coupe with Navi who can share info about it with me??

That being said, yeah, the guy with the original first post = moron.
Canada = best place to say in the world :P haha (I kid i kid, everyone's country rawks!)

[Neal @ May 27th 2008 2:20PM]

You can do this through your WM phone now using Windows Live Search mobile (gas price listings).

I agree with tighter integration between cell though. Why try to make 2 platforms that compete with each other when you could use a dock that can charge your phone, allow for hands free, make it voice responsive (for safer driving too) for phone calls, and add the music ability to it? You could also tether it using this for data to your GPS in the car, internet, email, etc.

[Bill N. @ May 27th 2008 11:50AM]

I tried building one out and every time I had to show more options and it would change me to some high priced model. Why in the F can I not just buy a regular old cheaper model with the super dooper cool navigation system. I'd probably have better luck going to a dealer and getting what I want than the ford site.

[vassil mladjov @ May 27th 2008 12:01PM]

well, it would be nice if this can calculate how much it will cost you to go to the cheap gas station and than let you know where is the best "deal" based on the cost of driving to that "cheap" gas only 10miles away.
so, if you have an SUV and your car will use 3/4 gal of Gas @4.05 (in Oakland, CA), than this will cost you about $3 to get there.
Now if the gas at the station (at the 10mile mark) is $4.0 and you need 20 gal => you would have saved (20x 0.05 = $0.80) , but your cost would have been $6 to get to the "cheap gas" and get back.
Wow, this is a cool way to make us drive more.
So, we need to have a system to give us the break even point first before we do this gas trip.

[vassil @ May 27th 2008 12:09PM]

wow, what am I thinking.
the calculations are off here. I need my coffee before I start writing stuff.
The savings would have been for $1.0 (not $0.80) if you loaded with 20 gal @ 4.0.
so, if your cost was $6 on that big SUV to go and get back for gas, than you have added $5 for that gas trip. ($6-$1)
again, this mean that you need to ride your bike more ;)

[rcappo @ May 27th 2008 12:27PM]

$3.80+ is not 'cheap gas', no matter how much the Europeans claim their price is. They should have been inventing all this alternative fuel stuff.

[distortedloop @ May 27th 2008 1:09PM]

Every place I've been in Europe, you can get around a lot easier without a car than you can in the majority of the U.S.,; one could imagine that gives a little less incentive to look for alternative fuels.

All the features of this new Sync, less the media player stuff, can be had for far less money with the DASH GPS unit, which even gives traffic data on surface streets.

It's too bad the Sync (I have an '08 version) doesn't allow for updating traffic and prices via cellphone if you have a data-enabled phone connected.

It's my only gripe beyond the voice recognition still takes some practice to get it to recognize your commands.

[UHUH @ May 27th 2008 1:00PM]

That's what I need to do. Spend $2000 to try and save 3cents on a gallon of gas.

[Matt @ May 27th 2008 1:14PM]

Well look at all the people willing to spend $8,000 more on a Civic hybrid just to get an extra 5MPG on average.

[Ian @ May 27th 2008 2:40PM]

Also: too bad it's stuck on a Ford.

[dos @ May 27th 2008 4:29PM]

Is this like big news because it's American companies doing it? Cars sold in Japan have had things like this in them for years and years, and more. Go to the Japanese website of Honda or somebody and see how many choices you get for equipment like this. I'm fairly sure South Korea and other technologically advanced countries have it too. This is like folks in India being blown away by the Tata Nano while the rest of the world just goes "huh?".

There is nothing innovative about Sync and pairing it to a Ford basically seals it as a product for the Wal-Mart and McDonalds demographic. I hope they are pleased with the cheap trash they asked for. I think I'll stick to imports for now, and I always check to make sure they're built in their native countries (quick hint: a "J" in the VIN number of a Japanese car usually means it's manufactured there, but check Wikipedia to be sure.. you don't want to end up with something built by idiots in Tennessee or Ohio do you?). Garbage doesn't get my money.

[Jay @ May 27th 2008 5:47PM]

mmmmm.... steaming audio... sounds delicious!

[Jim @ May 27th 2008 7:20PM]

"taken us from our origin at Smittenville to the rural outpost of Gobsmacked"

Good original writing there.
Your funny take and good writing is what caused me to become a regular here.

Your site has an identity and personality,
you keep it clean and classy.
A difficult trick.
You make it look easy,
Great work.
Thanks.

[Jim @ May 27th 2008 7:24PM]

Heh. The translated site headline is:

" The schnittige edge of MacBook and MacBook Air"

So is it schnitty to have that happen?

[Jim @ May 27th 2008 7:28PM]

oops wrong story.

[Michael @ May 27th 2008 7:44PM]

10 GB hard drive? Are they serious? Why bother putting in a HDD at all if it's going to be something so tiny. Of course I'm not expecting a 1 TB monster to rip my entire collection of music, videos, and crap, but honestly, at least put in a 40 or 60 GB drive so people can put more music, or rip music at a better bitrate!

[toyotaboy @ May 28th 2008 1:48PM]

Microsoft is too embedded, this needs to be open source. Android is the way to go. I want more than just figuring out if it's cheaper to drive further for cheaper gas, I want it to plot my routes based on stops, and have it figure out the best time to stop during my multiple stops for gas while taking in account my range based on how much gas I have left from the ODB connection in my car.

[[ W ] @ Jun 11th 2008 5:09PM]

Oh Microsoft, why can't you focus more on the UI?

It looks like its got tons of great features, but poorly implemented.