Ford's new cars will help you get a date and much more

The International Consumer Electronics Show happening now in Las Vegas has become a showcase for new in-car infotainment systems that work with smart-phones and the web. Ford’s SYNC AppLink in-dash infotainment system is able to integrate a wide variety of Apps and other forms of external content with the cars screen and audio system. During the CES Ford has been outlining just some of the new ways the vehicle’s system can make the ride much more fun and interesting.

Audio Magazines and Newspapers
One App that the Ford SYNC system can integrate highlighted at the show is called Kaliki Audio Newsstand. This App is designed to help drivers listen to audio version of their favorite newspaper of news magazine stories of the day. Bruce Hopkins, vice president of Sales and Business Development for BT Software-Kaliki Audio Newsstand explained kaliki this way; “With people’s lives getting busier and busier, there is unfortunately less time to sit down with your favorite newspaper or magazine and read, so Kaliki reads it to you, What makes Kaliki unique is the fact we have professional voices that read every story, making the content pleasing to the ear, just like listening to your favorite news radio station or podcast.”

Drivers do not have to take their hands off the wheel to use Kaliki either. Voice and steering wheel mounted buttons are all that is required to request a new story or publication and to even pause, fast-forward, and rewind the content. Kaliki is a no cost App.

More Radio
Local radio stations do a good job or providing music to the listeners who enjoy their genre, but not all types of music are available everywhere via terrestrial radio. Satellite Radio has helped bring niche music to the masses, but it is expensive and requires a contract. Even then, sound quality is not the same as HD radio, or even FM radio and many listeners find that there is only or two stations that play their favorite type of music. Often the same tracks are repeated. Aha is a music and information service that offers listeners over 30,000 audio stations using web-based content. Listeners can user voice activated controls once the system is enabled on their SNCY and mobile device. The service also offers Facebook streaming. Rhapsody is a streaming music service many use on their mobile devices. This service too is now available via SNC

Find a Date
Last year a couple won the Ford SYNC AppLink Developer Challenge at the TechCrunh Disrupt Hackathon. Becky Cruze and Pius Uzamere hold multiple degrees between them including computer science and engineering from MIT. After the win, Ford invited the couple to develop a novel App that might integrate with SNCH and be used to help couples have fun. The result is BeCouply. Many couples start their date in a car and the BeCouply App can be used to help them find a fun date. If asked “Find a date” BeCouply can find local things to do for couples. It can then tell them how to get there. “We are on a mission to help couples have epic social lives,” Uzamere, developer of the app and chief operating officer of BeCouply explained why BeCouply makes sense for couples heading out for the evening. “Ford SYNC is a natural fit for BeCouply because – for many couples – date night begins in the car.” Perhaps in a nod to political correctness, neither Uzamer nor Ford pointed out that date night can sometimes also end in the car.