SYNC With MyFord Touch: Automotive Infotainment For All

By Anh T. Huynh
published

Automotive infotainment systems are becoming smarter, and more powerful, featuring some of the same hardware as popular smartphones and tablets. It's time to apply our own unique analysis to technology finding its way into the automotive segment.

SYNC's Entertainment Features

The Focus' implementation of SYNC with MyFord Touch includes basic voice-activated music search, radio tuning, Bluetooth audio streaming, and USB device connectivity via a media hub in the center armrest. 

Ford eschews a 1/8" auxiliary audio input in the Focus for a pair of USB ports that support Apple iPods, iPhones, Microsoft Zune devices, and most USB-based storage, with the ability to charge those devices' batteries. Apple iPad owners will be disappointed that SYNC with MyFord Touch does not support high-amperage charging. However, the interface does facilitate playback of DRM-protected music. Ford's UI is able to display cover art through an iPod, Zune, or the integrated Gracenote music database. It even sports a 3D cover art album browser.

Although an SD card slot is available for dropping in music, you'll find it monopolized if you purchase the navigation package, since maps are stored on an SD card. 

The Sony Audio system, which our test mule includes, comes bundled with HD Radio and tagging support. HD Radio tagging gives you an easy way to remember that new Katy Perry song you were listening to, so you can go buy it later. Of course, you need an iPod, iPhone, or iPad connected to the system in order to transfer the tags to iTunes.

SiriusXM Satellite radio comes standard with SYNC with MyFord Touch, featuring time-shifting that lets you replay songs or broadcasts up to 45 minutes later. There is no shame in jamming out to “Ice Ice Baby” all car ride-long (Ed.: Yes there is).

If you haven't yet jumped into the digital media scene, you do get a CD player underneath the display.

Oddly, SYNC with MyFord Touch does not support AppLink to control phone apps like Pandora. The first-gen SYNC system did, so AppLink's omission is a strange oversight.

A set of composite video inputs is the system's sole video source allowing passengers to connect VCRs, game consoles, DVD players, or other standard-definition devices to the eight-inch LCD. For legal (and hopefully obvious) reasons, the inputs only function when the car is stopped, limiting your Guitar Hero time to rest area bathroom breaks and parking lots.

Video playback isn’t supported natively by SYNC with MyFord Touch. However, if you have an iOS-based device paired with USB and the composite video connection, drivers and passengers can watch videos from iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches.

Anh T. Huynh
48 Comments Comment from the forums
  • jhansonxi
    SYNC is the reason that Ford's . I've also met several people who have SYNC and they've all had problems with it freezing completely or controls getting stuck. These problems either require them to stop and turn off the engine (a reboot) or take the car to a dealer to get SYNC reset.

    This is shockingly bad code quality for an embedded system. I may get a Ford vehicle in the future but it won't have SYNC in it. I'll epoxy a tablet to the dash if I need entertainment that bad.
    Reply
  • jhansonxi
    SYNC is the reason that Ford's quality has dropped:
    http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/22/autos/ford_jd_power_initial_quality/index.htm

    P.S. What's up with the broken URL parsing?
    Reply
  • mayankleoboy1
    boot benchmarks for a car :O
    What is the world coming to?
    Reply
  • SteelCity1981
    never had a problem with my SYNC in my ford.
    Reply
  • TheZander
    Drove a brand new rental Ford with all the Sync options. It was nice to be able to play music straight from my phone without taking it out of my pocket or plugging anything in. It was also nice when a call came in and a simple button push switched seamlessly from my music to the call, with good voice quality I might add. The information provided is useful and placed in areas with a focus on keeping your eyes in safer directions than some layouts, and the steering wheel button placement makes sense and also works well (for the most part) once you get used to it.

    However, there are little things here and there that show the system has tremendous potential, but lacks polish you expect when it's in your automobile. I own a reasonably new Ford (2006 Freestyle.) It's been an exceptional, sturdy, and reliable car for several years now with no mechanical issues to date. My dad owns an old Lincoln Navigator with over 370,000 miles on it, still with the original engine running. Fords have been pretty good to me and my family over the years. You put in the key, turn it, and the thing runs. You push the buttons on the door and the windows go up or down. Flip a switch and the heater comes on.

    You expect your automobiles to be like this. Ford Sync does not yet feel like this. "Do I push this button this way or that way?" "What word order do I need to use for this command?" "Why do I have to re-command Sync to start playing my phone's music via bluetooth every time I start my car rather than it just start automatically?" "Why does the system hang once in a while for no apparent reason?"

    It just doesn't yet feel like it's reliable and responsive. I was intrigued and impressed by Sync, but it needs more polish, fluidity, refinement, and most of all consistency and reliability for it to please the masses day after day, and THIS is why Sync is the single worst factor in Ford's otherwise good reliability ratings being lowered, as mentioned above.
    Reply
  • danwat1234
    I like my 1999 Honda Civic. Bullet proof reliable with 226K miles, simple and fast around corners (with an upgraded rear sway bar and good all season tires). It came with AM/FM radio and that's it. I have an FM transmitter to run anything else. All of this fancy technology ... my gaming laptop and my basic 10-key cell phone is enough. But it's great that this tech is available in inexpensive cars.
    I don't think that anybody would buy a new car just for this technology, at least I hope not. But new cars also come with stability, traction, ABS, EBD and panic brake help which is nice.
    My next car will be electric, maybe a 3-wheeled Zaptera. That's a reason to upgrade!
    Reply
  • tuanies
    9532860 said:
    SYNC is the reason that Ford's quality has dropped:
    http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/22/autos/ford_jd_power_initial_quality/index.htm

    P.S. What's up with the broken URL parsing?

    We touch on that in the conclusion. V2.0 of the software fixed a lot of the crashes and issues. We did not experience any crashes during the week we had the car.
    Reply
  • tuanies
    9532864 said:
    I like my 1999 Honda Civic. Bullet proof reliable with 226K miles, simple and fast around corners (with an upgraded rear sway bar and good all season tires). It came with AM/FM radio and that's it. I have an FM transmitter to run anything else. All of this fancy technology ... my gaming laptop and my basic 10-key cell phone is enough. But it's great that this tech is available in inexpensive cars.
    I don't think that anybody would buy a new car just for this technology, at least I hope not. But new cars also come with stability, traction, ABS, EBD and panic brake help which is nice.
    My next car will be electric, maybe a 3-wheeled Zaptera. That's a reason to upgrade!

    That sounds fancy, my daily is a '90 Miata with no power steering, manual windows, no side door guard beams and a first generation airbag. Its a ton of fun though.
    Reply
  • s3anister
    This is cool tech but I wish ford would have started doing this a year or two earlier than they did. I'd love to see an HDMI input instead of composite in and a higher-res screen for example.
    Reply
  • tuanies
    9532867 said:
    This is cool tech but I wish ford would have started doing this a year or two earlier than they did. I'd love to see an HDMI input instead of composite in and a higher-res screen for example.

    HDMI input would be nice. I think Honda is the only one that has HDMI input on the Honda Odyssey, but only on the $45k Elite model.
    Reply