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Ford's smartwatch apps let drivers unlock their electric car
In recent months, both Hyundai and Volvo have launched smartwatch apps, allowing car owners to control some of their vehicle's functions from the comfort of their wrist. Now Ford wants in on the action. In the latest update to its MyFord app, available on both iOS and Android Wear, the car maker is letting drivers of select electric and plug-in hybrid models access information on their vehicle battery status (including the estimated range), enable the air-conditioning, lock and unlock the car and follow directions to where their car is parked.
Ford Focus Electric test drive and MyFord Mobile hands-on (video)
This is the production version of Ford's Focus Electric for the US market, and we got the chance to take it for a proper test drive last week. Don't fret, though -- Engadget hasn't suddenly turned into a car site. While we'll be happy to share our driving impressions, we're mostly interested in how Ford interfaces the vehicle with our favorite mobile devices and social networks -- tech that we've covered before, known as MyFord Mobile. Hit the break for the details, including our hands-on video.
MyFord Touch update rolling out now, promises to be 'faster, simpler, better'
It's been a few months since Ford promised us that juicy refresh to its whips' infotainment system, but it looks as if the wait is about to come to an end. The Built Tough manufacturer says it's finally shipping those 2GB USB sticks (plus an SD card if you have Navigation) to proud owners of MyFord Touch-equipped rides. Included in the fresh update -- which promises to be faster, simpler and better -- are things such as easier controls, audio support for tablets, improved Sirius commands and the ability to jam listen to Audible audiobooks. Folks rockin' the Nav add-on will also see bits like updated map views, additional 3D landmarks as well as better graphics. So you should probably be hitting up your mailbox more often than usual to grab your stick as soon as it arrives, and if you'd like to prepare yourself, then head on over to the source where an installation walk-through video awaits. [Thanks, Letalis]
Ford to demo beta of MyFord Mobile app at CES, lets you tweet about your Focus from afar
Still giddy about taking possession of that electric Focus that you pre-ordered back in November? Well, before Dearborn gets the chance to airdrop that electric hatch into your driveway, know it'll be previewing a new beta of the MyFord Mobile smartphone app at CES. For those unaware, that's a mobile ware that displays battery info and range, where charging stations lurk, helps plan routes and can adjust climate, all while acting as a remote. It also boasts a bevy of social functions, ripe with achievements and statistics that let you stack up against your Ford-toting EV friends -- naturally replete with the ability to upload boastful scores to your social network of choice. PR and a video detailing all await you after the break.
Ford promises more AppLink love at CES, Evos on the show floor
At CES last year, Ford's big news was twofold: the company unveiled its first EV in decades, the Focus Electric, and it spent plenty of time talking up AppLink, which brought a new degree of smartphone integration to Sync. We recently made a little stop by the company's Detroit R&D center where we were told not only to expect an announcement at the 2012 CES regarding a suite of new apps in AppLink, but to also get ready to see a hot concept car. Sadly, though, it's a car we've already seen: the cloud-connected Evos will be making its North American debut. But, maybe we'll get lucky and Ford will find room to unveil a second new car at the show. Its booth should certainly be large enough.
MyFord Touch 2013 update hands-on
In short doses we've been reasonably impressed with MyFord Touch, the Blue Oval's attempt at bringing the car dashboard into the 21st century. For someone used to touchscreens and virtual controls it's intuitive enough -- but many others have been having issues. Less tech-savvy drivers have been left confused, while a series of technical glitches haven't exactly helped matters. Good thing there's an update coming, but you won't have to wait until the 2013 model year to read our impressions. They're right here after the break.%Gallery-139109%
Ford Focus Electric hooks up wirelessly with AT&T, incurs jealous looks from T-Mobile
AT&T is keeping up its wheeling and dealing this week, signing an agreement with Ford to provide the built-in wireless connectivity for its upcoming Focus Electric hatchback. The deal's pretty simple, really. Ford has put together a comprehensive MyFord Mobile application to go with its EV, which will allow you to keep track of and schedule charging, while also serving up status notifications, range information, and nearby recharging stations' locations, the latter facility being provided with the help of MapQuest. All that data exchange will need a nice dumb pipe to carry it between the Focus and your smartphone and AT&T is obligingly fulfilling that role -- and don't worry if your phone doesn't support the app (works with Android, BlackBerry and iOS), Ford's got a web interface too. Full PR after the break.
Pandora for Mini Connected and SYNC AppLink now available for iPhone
The Mini Connected app finally hit the App Store back in December, enabling those with suitably equipped little German/British autos to connect their iPhones and iPods and do what nature intended. Well, everything nature intended except for streaming Pandora. Now that solemn right is a possibility too, with the latest version of Pandora available in iTunes. Update that, plug your iPhone into your Mini, and you can get your stream on, just like we did at CES. However, if you're more of a domestics guy or gal you don't have to feel left out, because this new version supports Ford's SYNC AppLink as well. And, yes, we had some quality hands-on time with that, too.
Dealers holding MyFord Touch classes for confused car owners
To us, MyFord Touch is a great way to manage your auto: four-way controllers on the steering wheel for navigating through simple, color-coded menus; a central touch panel; even voice recognition so that you can live out those Michael Knight fantasies. However, some folks, folks who apparently didn't spend their childhoods mashing thumbs into D-pads, are finding it all a little confusing. Consumer Reports recently railed against the system and Ford is looking to make the transition from knobs to buttons a little easier. Many dealers now offering tutorial sessions that owners of Touch-equipped cars can attend, a 45 minute thrill ride that'll let you and your salesman get just that much closer. Because, really, after we finally finish haggling and sign the paperwork there's nothing we want to do more than spend another hour in the dealership.
Ford's Vertrek concept gives us an idea of what the company's future dashboard might look like
Sure, we're fresh from sampling Ford's next evolutions of MyFord, the Mobile and AppLink systems, but those are due to start hitting cars in the next months and years. Sometimes it's fun to look a little further down the road, and that's what the company's Vertrek concept is doing, giving us a taste of exterior styling to come in the company's C-segment cars (like the C-MAX), plus a taste of some future innovations in the drivetrain department, most notable being an alternator that boosts its output under braking to provide a regenerative-like effect despite this not being a hybrid. While the exterior is quite striking -- showing clean, sharp, dynamic lines and the impossibly small mirrors of a concept -- it's the interior that caught our eye. Yes, futuristic interiors like these rarely look little like their subsequent production successors, but we can get some ideas of what Ford is looking at going forward, starting with what looks like an LCD (or possibly OLED) gauge cluster, something that's increasingly common now. The concept still has MyFord five-way controllers on the steering wheel stalks, but nestled down between the seats and duplicated on the dash is an Audi MMI or iDrive-like jog wheel. Interestingly there's the silhouette of what can only be an iPhone displayed on the center, perhaps giving an indicator of where the current media is coming from. We'll see if we can track the thing down on the show floor and find out. Update: Thanks to KC for pointing out that we made a little typo here. It is the Vertrek, not the Veritek as we originally spelled it. Our hopes for a Minmay Special Edition have just been dashed. %Gallery-113591%
Ford announces C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid cars for 2012 release
Ford indicated that CES was simply the right place to debut the Ford Focus Electric, and we'd tend to agree given the company's history of showing off cool stuff at the show. But, perhaps part of that reason is because the company wasn't done with the new car announcements. In Detroit Ford has announced two new flavors of its C-MAX, both coming to the US: hybrid and plug-in hybrid. The C-MAX is a European market compact MPV, basically a tall station wagon that'll comfortably seat five and still leave room for luggage, dogs, or '70s era mainframe systems in the back. More details on both versions, plus the full PR, after the break. %Gallery-113588%
Mustang next to get SYNC AppLink smartphone integration, we hope to be next to get a Mustang
If you've been paying attention to our auto coverage from CES this year, posts with pictures of pretty cars that go tearing down the page amidst the flood of tablets and superphones, you might have spotted our hands-on with SYNC AppLink. It's making its debut in the 2011 Ford Fiesta, letting smartphoners stream Pandora and a few other apps right through the car. Now Ford is confirming that the 2012 Mustang is going to be next to get the nod and, like on the current Fiesta, it'll be free. That said, if you can't resist ticking the boxes next to the premium options you can choose to add voice-activated navigation, which includes an 8-inch touchscreen that also displays AppLink information. No word on cost for that just yet, but you can check out the interface in the pictures below. %Gallery-113256%
Ford Focus Electric and MyFord Mobile hands-on (video)
Ford just made some tire marks on the stage at CES unveiling its Focus Electric, the first new major vehicle announced at the show. We of course knew it was coming, and we have all the details right here of both the car itself and the MyTouch Mobile app, but we were given an opportunity to get up and close with them both. Click on through for some impressions -- both in visual and textual formats. %Gallery-113186%
Ford unveils Focus Electric with MyFord Mobile smartphone integration
Ford just made industry history by being the first major auto manufacturer to unveil a new model at CES, the Focus Electric. But we already knew it would. What we didn't know were the details of the thing, but now we have them. And a lot of pretty pictures. Ford is saying the car will manage a range of 100 miles and that it will offer an MPGe rating (a conceptual equivalency of miles per gallon for an electric or otherwise non-traditionally powered car) higher than the Volt and comparable to the Leaf, but crucially it's saying that it can be recharged on a 240 volt outlet in four hours or less. The Leaf can take up to seven hours with the same amount of current -- though of course CHAdeMO support there handily trumps that. More details below, along with details of some pretty blue butterflies. %Gallery-113179%
Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally tells us why CES is important (video)
Each year we see more and more cars at CES, more and more infotainment systems, and more and more reasons to get excited about driving to work. But each time Ford is the company with the biggest presence, and this year there's more Blue Oval than ever with the first CES unveil of a whole new car, the upcoming Focus Electric. Alan Mulally was kind enough to take a few minutes to speak with us about just what the heck the company is doing here and, more importantly, what kind of surprises are coming from his keynote speech on Friday. It's all in the video below. And, yes, more of that Mustang too -- which just so happens to be painted in our favorite color.
Ford SYNC AppLink hands-on in a little green Fiesta
It seems like Ford just can't let another year go by without introducing some sort of tweak to SYNC, and this year is no different. The company is showing off part of the SYNC extensions it described last year, AppLink. As the name implies it enables apps running on a smartphone to connect (or, you know, link) to the car itself. The posterchild is definitely Pandora. When running the standard Pandora app your phone can connect over Bluetooth to the car. When that happens you take control over the app through the car itself, with simple voice commands ("thumb up"), with buttons on the wheel (track skip), and even the preset buttons on the main console to pick any of your top 10 stations. And, yes, while doing this your phone's screen is disabled to prevent you from fiddling when you should be driving. The demo itself unfortunately didn't go so well, with the phone timing out when attempting to load Pandora (which can be blamed on the crummy network here) and the car not correctly deciphering our voice (which can be blamed on the constant cacophany that envelops us). But, beyond those issues we were left quite impressed with the prospects here. Other compatible apps include OpenBeak and Stitcher News and compatible phones include Android and BlackBerry devices. iPhone support is coming soon, but you'll have to have a Ford Fiesta at the moment to use it, though the Mustang is next on the list. Yeah, we'd go with the latter too. Full details in the PR after the break, and we have a video demo coming shortly. Update: Video is added! %Gallery-112869%
Windows Embedded Automotive hits version 7, powers Nissan Leaf, takes MyFord global
We know how patiently you've been waiting for this day, but it's here. It's really here. Microsoft Windows Embedded Automotive 7 is out, appearing in the download queues of "select car makers and suppliers in the automotive industry." What does it offer? Why, Silverlight support for fancier UIs, real-time text-to-speech technology, and better expandability for third-party plugins. In bigger news, Microsoft is confirming that Windows Embedded Automotive (an earlier version) is the brains behind the Nissan Leaf's Information Hub, which not only handles infotainment duties but also gives charging status and power consumption figures. Finally, the MyFord system is going global, shipping to Blue Oval vehicles in Europe and Asia in 2011. That's after 2.5 million Sync-equipped cars have hit the road. Highway domination? Nearly complete.
Ford's SYNC learns 100x more voice commands, integrates Nuance technology
We'll be honest -- we weren't the biggest fans of SYNC from the onset, but that had more to do with its insistence on playing Run DMC on our request for Naughty By Nature during a cross-town CES run than anything else. Now, Ford remains one of the few automakers that actually bothers to update their navigation systems on a consistent basis, and while SYNC is still far from perfect, it's getting a rather significant update today. The introduction of MyFord Touch brings the amount of commands that SYNC understands up to 10,000 -- that's a pretty big jump from 100, where it began. Following in BMW's footsteps, Ford is also integrating voice control technology from Nuance, which allows drivers to speak "more naturally" to the system rather than having to memorize a few hundreds first-level snippets. Unfortunately, we still think voice control within vehicles is too slow; much like Windows Vista, there are simply too many confirmation prompts, too many forks in the decision tree and not enough of an overall benefit to chose it over handling things with your digits. Feel free to disagree and pick this up on your 2011 Ford Edge, but be sure to view the video past the jump before getting all hot and bothered.
In a world of automotive cellphone hate, Ford promotes SYNC as the solution
Texting while driving may not be banned where you are yet, but it probably it will be soon, and Ford is pretty okay with that. As we saw at CES this year, the company is promoting SYNC and MyFord as solutions to distracted driving, enabling the car to read text messages to you so that you can keep your eyes on the road. The blue oval is working to get RIM digging Bluetooth MAP, enabling streaming of text messages to cars, functionality said to be coming in "all new BlackBerry smartphones." Beyond that Ford is touting its new "Do Not Disturb" button to block all incoming calls and text messages while still allowing outgoing calls and use of the phone for providing data to the car. This is in addition to already disabling much of the phone's functionality whilst in motion, keeping you focused on what you should be doing: shaving, reading the newspaper, and eating breakfast.
Ford Eco-Route plots most fuel efficient path, tells you how much longer it'll take
Ford's been slowly but surely tweaking its MyFord Touch interface for months now, and the latest stroke of genius to come across will surely light up the faces of treehuggers. In an effort to provide more routing options to drivers, the automaker is showcasing its new Eco-Route function in the 2011 Edge, which may or may not cause velitation with the good folks over at Garmin's similarly titled ecoRoute project. At any rate, the new addition allows motorists to choose between the fastest route, shortest (distance) route or most fuel efficient route, and it places the estimated time of travel for each within eyesight. We're guessing that most of you would simply select the method that requires the smallest investment of time, but those with nothing but may enjoy the new option. And somehow, somewhere, Mother Earth is blowing you a carbon-free kiss. Check out a brief demonstration video after the break.
