Ford and Microsoft Bring Wi-Fi To Highways.
Microsoft and Ford are set to announce a partnership to expand wireless connectivity in Ford's lineup of cars, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The next generation of the Sync in-car entertainment and information system will use a USB mobile broadband modem to establish a secure wireless connection capable of supporting several devices simultaneously.
The system will be available next year on selected models -- no word yet which ones -- and you won't need a subscription or hardware beyond the modem.
Called Sync, the Wi-Fi connectivity will give Ford vehicles owners the possibility to make free mobile phone calls using VoIP, and download information to mobiles and laptops.
"While you're driving to grandma's house, your spouse can be finishing the holiday shopping and the kids can be chatting with friends and updating their Facebook profiles," said Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas. "And you're not paying for yet another mobile subscription or piece of hardware because Ford will let you use technology you already have."
According to the report, Sync will make its debut this week at the Detroit auto show and at CES in Las Vegas. It will be an option on Focus and Five Hundred sedans, and be available across Ford's range of trucks and cars starting with 2008 models, which are available in the autumn of 2007.
Several automakers already offer in-car Internet access -- Japanese drivers have been using it since 1997 -- and many others are rushing to bring it to us. Ford's announcement follows General Motors' promise last week to make in-car connectivity available in seven models of trucks and SUVs. They're the latest automakers to bring the infobahn to the autobahn.
Ford is taking a decidedly different approach, opting to allow consumers to plug in their own USB modem to get connected.
Ford is trying to boost its image and popularity by offering entertainment options like MP3 player ports on in-car stereos, and fitting DVD players and TV screens for backseat viewing.
General Motors, on the other hand, offers a dealer-installed system called Chevrolet Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile. It creates a Wi-Fi hot spot 300 feet in diameter around the vehicle, and GM claims the 3G network achieves speeds of up to 1.5 mbps. The hardware costs $199 after the $200 mail-in rebate, and the service costs $29 a month.
Given how connected we are, it makes sense for automakers to put the Internet in our cars. The number of iPhones and other mobile devices being used to connect to the Internet jumped 75 percent in the third quarter of this year, according to JiWire Mobile Audiences Insights Report.
Letting people log on from the road will be a big selling point among 20-something buyers, the so-called Millennials who have propelled much of Sync's success. Millennials will make up 28 percent of the driving population next year, a nine-point increase from 2004.
Kids aside, Ford says interest in in-car connectivity is high among the general public, with one-third of people surveyed by the Consumer Electronics Association expressing interest in being able to check e-mail or surf the Web from the car.
Microsoft and Ford are set to announce a partnership to expand wireless connectivity in Ford's lineup of cars, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The next generation of the Sync in-car entertainment and information system will use a USB mobile broadband modem to establish a secure wireless connection capable of supporting several devices simultaneously.
The system will be available next year on selected models -- no word yet which ones -- and you won't need a subscription or hardware beyond the modem.
Called Sync, the Wi-Fi connectivity will give Ford vehicles owners the possibility to make free mobile phone calls using VoIP, and download information to mobiles and laptops.
"While you're driving to grandma's house, your spouse can be finishing the holiday shopping and the kids can be chatting with friends and updating their Facebook profiles," said Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas. "And you're not paying for yet another mobile subscription or piece of hardware because Ford will let you use technology you already have."
According to the report, Sync will make its debut this week at the Detroit auto show and at CES in Las Vegas. It will be an option on Focus and Five Hundred sedans, and be available across Ford's range of trucks and cars starting with 2008 models, which are available in the autumn of 2007.
Several automakers already offer in-car Internet access -- Japanese drivers have been using it since 1997 -- and many others are rushing to bring it to us. Ford's announcement follows General Motors' promise last week to make in-car connectivity available in seven models of trucks and SUVs. They're the latest automakers to bring the infobahn to the autobahn.
Ford is taking a decidedly different approach, opting to allow consumers to plug in their own USB modem to get connected.
Ford is trying to boost its image and popularity by offering entertainment options like MP3 player ports on in-car stereos, and fitting DVD players and TV screens for backseat viewing.
General Motors, on the other hand, offers a dealer-installed system called Chevrolet Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile. It creates a Wi-Fi hot spot 300 feet in diameter around the vehicle, and GM claims the 3G network achieves speeds of up to 1.5 mbps. The hardware costs $199 after the $200 mail-in rebate, and the service costs $29 a month.
Given how connected we are, it makes sense for automakers to put the Internet in our cars. The number of iPhones and other mobile devices being used to connect to the Internet jumped 75 percent in the third quarter of this year, according to JiWire Mobile Audiences Insights Report.
Letting people log on from the road will be a big selling point among 20-something buyers, the so-called Millennials who have propelled much of Sync's success. Millennials will make up 28 percent of the driving population next year, a nine-point increase from 2004.
Kids aside, Ford says interest in in-car connectivity is high among the general public, with one-third of people surveyed by the Consumer Electronics Association expressing interest in being able to check e-mail or surf the Web from the car.
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