The previous SYNC system, however, was hit or miss, and you had to speak the address slowly and precisely - one. A stand-out navigation systemĪs with the previous generation of SYNC, the current one offers hands-free navigation, meaning you can speak the address or point of interest into the system. The SYNC 3 apps screen, where some mobile apps are automatically detected from an attached smartphone and displayed for use. Swiping a light finger across the map in any direction instantly sends the map there, too. The new GPS map in SYNC 3 tracks more smoothly and displays not only the street you're on, but also the speed limit. And, when it does move, it's in tiny increments. I own a 2013 Ford Escape with the SYNC 2 system, which Ford calls SYNC with MyTouch, and I can tell you that attempting to move a GPS map around to see where you're headed is hit or miss - sometimes it moves, sometimes it doesn't. Tile-like icons dominate, with a quick access function tray along the bottom of the screen making for a more straightforward user experience. The new SYNC 3 has three quadrants - always on navigation, entertainment and phone. The previous SYNC 2 system's home screen had four quadrants: navigation, phone, entertainment and climate and each quadrant opened a more detailed menu. The new screen also has pinch-to-zoom and swipe capability, along with fewer and cleaner graphics. ![]() ![]() Instead of pressing on the screen to activate a function, as with the old system, a light touch produces the same results. SYNC 3 has a new capacitive screen that allows you to swipe or pinch to expand and contract the navigation systems map.īelieve me, the speed with which the system responds to touch and voice commands is noticeably faster.įord replaced its previously resistive touch screen with a capacitive touch screen, offering an experience similar to a smartphone or tablet. The previous SYNC system ran on a single core CPU running at 600MHz (ARM Cortex A8) from Freescale. All new hardwareĪlong with a software change out, SYNC 3 comes with all new hardware, which is based on a dual-core CPU running at 1.7GHz (ARM Cortex 15) from Texas Instruments. Shortcomings aside, there have been some significant improvements to Ford's communications and entertainment head unit. The SYNC 3 system control pad on the steering wheel allows you to use hands-free voice commands or page through selections on the infotainment system's screen using the cursor buttons. SYNC 3 also does not natively support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, smartphone mirroring interfaces with which your infotainment screen can take on the look of your smartphone along with its mobile apps.įord is planning to offer Apple's and Android's API in the future, Williams said, but there's no specific release date. Ken Williams, supervisor of HMI product development at Ford, said the company is working with Apple to have the SYNC IVI automatically detect compatible mobile apps, as it can already do with Pandora.Ĭurrently, 14 mobile apps are compatible with the new SYNC 3 system. I want to be able to have them simply appear as soon as the phone's plugged into the USB port, and hopefully someday when it's connected via Bluetooth. One of the glitches I discovered in using my iPhone 6 with SYNC 3 is that certain apps, such as iHeartRadio and Spotify, need to be launched on the phone before they'll show up on the IVI screen. SYNC 3 will migrate to the rest of the North American lineup of vehicles by the end of 2016. SYNC 3's navigation page where you can preset destinations, such as work and home, add favorite places and even find some of the most common local destinations, such as gas stations and restaurants.įord's SYNC 3 IVI is available on the 2016 models of the Escape, Fiesta, F-150, Mustang and Transit. Lastly, QNX is the predominant telematics system platform in the automotive industry and has already been vetted by such automakers as Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Toyota and Volkswagen, making it an almost de facto standard. Ford's SYNC system has never been recommended by Consumer Reports magazine. Secondly, infotainment systems using QNX have consistently received high reliability and usability ratings from consumer publications. ![]() When Ford announced last year that it was moving its IVI system away from the Windows Embedded Automotive OS to Blackberry's QNX, it was heralded by pundits as a move in the right direction.įor one, QNX is considered a friendlier platform for mobile app developers, meaning more current and future smartphone applications will more easily integrate with it.
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