Ford home page for developers:
https://secure.syncmyride.com/Own/Modules/Developer/subscribe.aspx
Ford on Friday announced plans for a software developer kit (SDK) and API based on its Sync in-car technology, which will enable developers to produce hands-free apps.
The official API is scheduled to be released later this year.
The Sync Mobile Application Developer Network will allowdevelopers to: create a voice UI for apps using the in-vehicle speech recognition system; write information to the radio head display or in-vehicle touch screen; speak text using text-to-speech engine; use the in-vehicle menu system to provide commands or options for mobile apps; get button presses from the radio and steering wheel controls; and receive vehicle data.
The announcement was made as part of a Ford keynote at the CTIA wireless trade show in San Francisco.
"Car and wireless connectivity will only grow even closer together as more and more customers demand seamless connectivity between home, office, and vehicle," Derrick Kuzak, Ford's vice president of global product development, said in a press release. "Ford has been a leader in in-car communications, but we could not have accomplished as much as we have without plenty of commitment and partnership."
Ford Sync was introduced in 2007, and the company announced an upgrade - dubbed MyFord - at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. MyFord includes a Wi-Fi-enabled touch-screen dashboard, complete with USB and SD card slots, maps with 3D capability, location search services and traffic reports, Twitter and Pandora Applications, and more.
Now Ford is opening the floor for developers to integrate other applications into vehicles with Sync - ostensibly to stave off distracted driving. The announcement comes several weeks after the Department of Transportation announced that distracted driving resulted in 5,474 deaths in the U.S. last year. Another recent study said that 35 percent of drivers admit to texting and driving.
Developers with existing apps that they believe would work well with the Sync technology are invited to submit their work at fordnewideas.com, via the "Submit an Idea" link.
"We continuously review these ideas and are dedicated to working with anyone who has promising ideas and/or apps," Ford said on its Web site. "If you're not ready to submit your idea, provide your contact information using the subscribe page. We'll be better able to keep you up to date as information becomes available."
Once developed, Ford will distribute the app through "regular distribution channels," like existing app stores. Ford might list these apps on its Web site, the company said.Ford also said it's further integrating Bluetooth technology in its vehicles, so that drivers will be able to text hands-free. Several companies have recently jumped onboard with hands-free technology. Google just updated Car Home for Android to launch automatically. On Thursday, Vlingo released InCar, a mobile in-vehicle search application.
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