MacMost Now 145: Microsoft Sync Connects iPod and Car

Gary Rosenzweig talks to Dan Gray from MPGomatic.com about the Microsoft Sync system put into many Ford cars. It allows you to connect your iPod or iPhone to your car through the dock and play your music through the car as well as control it with your dash, steering wheel or voice commands.

You can also watch this video at YouTube (but with ads).

Video Transcript: Hi this is Gary with MacMost Now. Today let's take a look at how to connect you iPod or iPhone to a car using the Microsoft Sync System. So I'm always interested in how people connect their iPods and iPhones to their car. I have to do mine through an old fashioned headphone jack but there is some more advance systems out there like the Microsoft Sync System, which allows you to attach your iPhone or iPod through a USB port to your car and then you can get data on the screen in your car and also control it through your steering wheel. So my friend Dan Gray runs a site http://mpgomatic.com. Now its kind of like car reviews for geeks. He talks about gas mileage and technology in cars, so Dan knows all about this sort of stuff. So Dan, whats the deal, why does Microsoft supply the way for iPods to connect to cars, why Microsoft? you think it would be Apple or some other company?"
Dan - "It sounds kind of odd that Microsoft would be the link pen that would make Ford successful by allowing iPods and other mp3 players to hook to their cars, but Microsoft sees a pretty good market there and it is a good one. Basically the Microsoft sync system  allows you to plug an iPod or other mp3 player into the dash through a USB connection. So it blows away any of the simple jacks, you know and an audio input jack is one thing  your gonna get your music off your iPod into your system but your still gonna have to control it through the iPod. So Ford rolled this out slowly in 2008-2009 it's in most models, it's in the Escape, the Escape Hybrid, the Mustang, the Flex, the Fusion, the Focus, it's in Lincolns, its in Mercury's, it's in just about every Ford right now" 
Gary- "So when you plug your iPhone or iPod or whatever into the car you'll actually see like the display of like what song is playing, or what songs are available" 
Dan- "Depending on whether you have a  nav system or not, you'll see the name, you'll always see the name of the song or the playlist or the album, if you have the nav system you'll see everything, I mean it will get just like the front of the iPod, you'll have full control over your playlist through that screen but, the great part is you have control through the steering wheel, so you don't need to take your hands off the wheel and you can do things strictly by voice commands which is wickedly cool. once you learn how to speak sync-esque" 
Gary- "Give me an example of a voice command" 
Dan- "Play, The Clash, and boom it will start playing the Clash, if you say Neil Young it will play Neil Young" 
Gary- "So if you have the Clash on you iPod, it'll find it, figue it out and start playing it" Dan- "Yea it'll look through artists, it'll look through albums, it'll look through playlists" 
Gary- "So does this work with an iPhone and iPod Touch also?" 
Dan- "Now I haven't tested it with anything other than an iPod, but if you look at Syncmyride.com there's a long list of the players that it works with" Gary- "Awesome, does it also work with non-iPod devices like other mp3 players?" 
Dan- "Zen's and Zunes and Creative thingamigiggers, yea it works with most of them, with the higher end ones its gonna provide that USB input but with the low end stuff its just gonna be through the audio jack and youre not gonna have that high end control" 
Gary- "Ok thats great! well thanks for filling us in Dan!" 
Dan- "Its my pleasure, I'll bring more of them in as I go, theres more advance iPod integration in the VW's and the BMW's and the Mini's and other manufacturers are working to include this stuff pretty quickly, the input jacks are one thing, but once you can take real of your audio player from the dash or from the steering wheel, it changes the game, thanks for having me on Gary- "Thanks for all the great info Dan! You can find Dan's insight at http://mpgomatic.com, until next time, this is Gary Rosenzweig MacMost Now.

Comments: 4 Responses to “MacMost Now 145: Microsoft Sync Connects iPod and Car”

Nick Holt

16 years ago

I have also tested it with the iphone thru bluetooth, so there's no wires involved. You still get the steering wheel control and voice commands, but your iphone can just sit in a cupholder without any wires. very impressive!

Jack Campbell

15 years ago

Well i got the iphone 3gs and bluetooth only syncs voice even not the song info, maybe there is a way to modify

janet

13 years ago

What kind of cord do you need to make the ipod work with a 2009 Ford Escape sync radio?

Gary Rosenzweig

Not sure. If you have one, I would check the one end in your car, and I would assume the other end would be an iPod dock cable. I would check the manual that came with your car/sync radio as I'm sure it details things there.

Comments Closed.

MacMost Now 145: Microsoft Sync Connects iPod and Car

Comments: 4 Responses to “MacMost Now 145: Microsoft Sync Connects iPod and Car”

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