Ford Sync
According to Dr. K. Prasad Venkatesh of Ford’s Infotronics Research and advanced Engineering, Ford’s Sync technology is more geared towards Generation Y (the millions of youthful people born between 1981 and 1995), and less toward the older generation who are afraid or ignorant of the advances in technology. Basically, newer Ford models such as, the 2011 Ford Fiesta, a car that targets the under 30’s generation of people, come equipped with a Ford Sync Destinations navigation system.
Forecasting traffic with a Ford Sync Destinations system
Actually, Ford Sync Destinations is an outstanding traffic navigation tool that is installed in almost all newer models of the Ford brand of vehicles. Powered by Inrix, the system provides real-time access to traffic information on most highways and streets in approximately 126 cities in North America. Actually, layered Inrix traffic information in Google Maps gets updated much quicker than what there is on Google Maps alone.
Essentially, routes are created by touching the available maps direction screen, based on the drivers phone contacts, for instance, on the Gmail address book for Android smartphones, by typing in addresses, or by locating businesses by Yelp’s links. The fastest and alternative routes are offered based on the inputted routes information, in addition to the map of the route to follow.
After querying the Ford Sync Destinations system for direction, a slider that allows the driver to predict his or her arrival time at the destination, based on the predicted and real-time traffic pops up. Another navigation page generates a bar chart of the anticipated times of arrival based on the departure time and the amount of traffic a driver might encounter on their way.
However, Ford Sync Destinations system doesn’t work when the car is in motion because the saved destination is handed over to the sync head unit by verbally requesting a turn-by-turn navigation from the sync system.
Accessing the Ford Sync Destinations system’s locations
To access the saved Ford Sync Destinations locations in the car’s sync head unit, the driver should utilize the available sync commands; that is, the service directions command. How? The driver should speak out the name of the saved location point into the Destinations navigation system. After the services command has been given out, Ford Sync head unit dials into the Ford’s service number (800) for action.
Typically, data for the driver’s turn-by-turn navigation is downloaded via the Ford’s service number, taking an average of six minutes per several dials and is transmitted back to the sync head by means of a Bluetooth. The turn-by-turn trip’s navigation information becomes active when it is being downloaded. The initial trip’s trajectory information supplied in the Ford Sync Destinations app is for the driver’s use if he or she prefers to look at it beforehand.
All in all, after the required data has been loaded into the sync head unit system, the turn by turn navigation becomes a very unforgettable experience. With the ample notifications and the timely information on the heads up display unit, no driver can complain about lack of the required navigation information. Additionally, there is a GPS antenna in the Ford Sync unit that actually helps in monitoring the route instantaneously.