Microsoft Corporation and car maker Ford will launch a joint venture to bring a new software called Sync into Ford cars.
Sync is expected to get its first public showing on 7 January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and at press previews for next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas .
The software will allow drivers to use hands-free mobiles while driving, receive emails on the move, and download and play music, satellite navigation systems will also be integrated and other data-related activities.
"People spend an hour or more in their car everyday," said Jeff Varick, of Brand Motion. "They want to be productive and entertained. Software and electronics account for a third of a cost of a vehicle. That's something Microsoft has to look at."
The Windows based, in-car technology will initially be available for only two Ford models in 2007, the Ford Focus and Five Hundred Sedan series, and will then be available across it's entire range in 2008.
Similar technology has already been introduced in Europe, through a partnership between Microsoft and Fiat .
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, in a quote to The Detroit Free Press, said that to set apart car companies in the future, vehicles will have features such as HD screens, voice recognition, electronic calendars, cameras and navigation systems that include road and traffic conditions. The upcoming Sync project will provide a platform to centralise and standardise all of those functions.
It is not yet known whether Sync will come as standard with models or be an optional add-on.
