Ford is scheduled to release a “Send to SYNC” service that includes Google Maps later this month which allows drivers to choose a destination on Google Maps and send it to the SYNC on their Ford, Mercury or Lincoln vehicles for free.
“Send to SYNC” is a new addition to the Ford Service Delivery Network, which is the automaker’s “cloud-based architecture,” that provides a menu of voice-activated services attainable through a user’s mobile phone, and will be available to existing 2010-11 Ford vehicles that already have SYNC with Traffic, Directions & Information (TDI).
On the Google Maps website, users will have the choice to send their desired location to SYNC by navigating to the “Send” menu on the site. Then, when a user connects to SYNC TDI in their vehicle, they confirm the request to download the selected Google Maps location and it is stored under the “services” voice command. The latest traffic information is downloaded and applied to the chosen Google Maps directions sent to the vehicle.
“Printing paper directions from a website is a relic in our digital age,” said Doug VanDagens, director of Ford Connected Services Solutions Organization. “With ‘Send to SYNC,’ you can map a destination at home, at work – wherever you have connectivity – and when you get to your car, it already knows where you want to go.
“It’s convenient and it eliminates the waste and distraction of paper maps, conserving resources while helping drivers keep their eyes on the road.”
Cloud-based services offered by the SYNC TDI include news, stocks, movie listings, horoscopes, and the forthcoming “Send to SYNC” service. No vehicle software updates are ever required and no additional hardware is required either, hence, there are no extra costs involved.
In addition to Ford SYNC’s partnership with Google, the auto company will also have a similar feature for Mapquest as well later this year.
[Via]