Ford announces MyFord Touch with dual 4.2" LCDs, Wi-Fi and improved voice recognition
It may be 2010 and we don't have flying cars yet, but first there's this.
Leading up to Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally's keynote address at CEO 2010 tonight, the American auto maker has already unveiled the MyFord Touch interface, dubbed as the "intuitive driver experience."
Gallery: MyFord Touch cabin tech interface
Ford has revamped the the traditional driver's interface, inserting graphic-heavy displays on the dashboard and upgrading the voice recognition system. But even with all the advances, designers say they kept things where they're expected to be, so the driver shouldn't have to be flipping through menus trying to find how much gas the car has consumed.
There are three color LCD touch-screens to look for, starting with an 8-inch display at the top of the center stack and then dual 4.2-inch screens flanking an analog speedometer. On the steering wheel crossbar, there's a five-way switch that controls the information displayed on the corresponding panel screen. All of those displays are powered by Ford SYNC, adapted from the Microsoft Auto platform.
Some of the extra techie features include:
- Wi-Fi capability
- Two USB ports
- SD card slot
- RCA audio/visual input jacks
- Pandora
- iTunes tagging
- Twitter client OpenBeak
Ford will also be releasing MyLincoln Touch and MyMercury Touch editions, starting with the 2011 Lincoln MKX later this year. By 2015, 80% of Ford vehicles should be equipped with the MyFord Touch interface.
While a lot of this is nice to have in a car, how much of it will be distracting to drivers? Isn't there a reason that talking on a cell phone and texting while driving are illegal in some states?