I'm so excited about Ford SYNC (aka Windows Automotive)!

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I can't wait to get my new Ford with SYNC!  See a review here.  Pricing is just $395.  Learn more about SYNC here here.  In one way or another, I've been involved in this domain for the last 7 years.  In fact, I moved from Seattle to join Ford back in 2000 mostly because I was excited about the potential of "telematics" and in-vehicle computing. 

If you'll indulge a brief trip down memory lane... I remember at one point back in 2002, I helped organize a private conference with Ford Research that included folks from Ford, as well as automotive supply, telecom, and computing industry execs.  I was nervous, as I had the dubious honor of speaking after Bill Gates and before lunch.  Smile  Among the points I made that day -- as an industry we needed to:

  1. Stop adding single-purpose "dumb" computers to our cars, and instead have fewer "smart", multi-purpose computers; and,
  2. Stop trying to replace people's electronic devices, and instead make it easy for people to adopt new innovations by integrating with what consumers already have and extending those capabilities to make existing habits more valuable. 

I honestly believe we changed the automotive industry that day. 

I definite can NOT take credit for the good work done by Ford and Microsoft on SYNC (aka Windows Automotive).  A lot of people have done a  lot of good, hard work, and most of them don't know me at all.  But in some small way, I feel like the successes those teams have had are realizing part of the vision we painted back in 2002.  It's nice -- in a strange way, seeing my former co-workers at Ford (and current co-workers at Microsoft) bring SYNC into the world as a (partial but significant) realization of the concept we painted years ago feels like what I imagine it must be like for a grandparent to see their children, all grown-up, bringing their own kids into the world. 

Moreover, because this is an implementation of a Microsoft "platform" product -- Windows Automotive is based on Windows CE -- it could theoretically be extended with on-board and off-board solutions.  What kind of solutions?  Well, lots of different kinds.  :-)  To spark the imagination, consider this: the current version of SYNC is all about bringing your digital life into the vehicle.  The next, even more interesting frontier is bringing your vehicle into your digital life!   Smile

Technorati tags: SYNC, Ford, Windows Automotive, Innovation, in-vehicle computing