Jalopnik
Microsoft is again shilling its technology out to the masses, but this time offering up its car infotainment system, better known as SYNC, to the Hyundai-Kia Auto Group. The 2010 models will be the first to include the Microsoft entertainment system that still remains nameless as Ford has the name SYNC locked down by the balls. For the time being, the system used by Hyundai and Kia will be similar to that offered by Ford, FIAT and most recently with Suzuki (who decided on the Suzuki TRIP name), but the group is looking at new capabilities that could be added like navigation and emergency call services. Press release below the jump.
Microsoft and Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group to Develop Next Generation of In-Car Infotainment New partnership will globalize innovative in-car infotainment.[Source: Microsoft]SEOUL, South Korea — May 6, 2008 — Today, Microsoft Corp. and Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group (HKAG) entered into a long-term agreement to co-develop the next generation of in-car infotainment systems. Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, and Mongku Chung, chairman of HKAG, were present as Martin Thall, general manager of Microsoft's Automotive Business Unit, and Hyun Soon Lee, president and chief technology officer of HKAG, signed the agreement in Seoul.
Together, Microsoft and HKAG will deliver new and innovative solutions based on the Microsoft Auto software platform, bringing the future of in-car technology to Hyundai-Kia drivers worldwide.
"These new systems will redefine consumer experiences in the car," Thall said. "Since the spring of 2006, HKAG and Microsoft have been sharing their vision for the future of in-car technology. We're now aligned to develop the next generation of in-car infotainment systems."
"We are pleased to partner with Microsoft to deliver high-performance infotainment solutions to our customers," Lee said. "The advanced capabilities, flexibility and low price point make the Microsoft Auto software platform an attractive solution for us."
The first product, a next-generation infotainment system that provides voice-controlled connectivity between mobile devices, will be introduced in the North American market in 2010. It will further apply to Asian and European markets, and expand into multimedia and navigation devices. These easy-to-use infotainment systems will allow consumers to enjoy music in various digital formats.
The next-generation infotainment systems are comparable to mini-PCs. Even after product launch, new functions can be added or upgraded in the form of software program updates, an innovation to existing in-car multimedia technology.
The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group's adoption of the Microsoft Auto software platform increases Microsoft's presence in the Asian car market and enhances the global automotive business. The engineering and marketing teams of Microsoft's Automotive Business Unit in Redmond, Wash., will be working directly with counterparts at HKAG in Seoul to support this goal. Microsoft Auto-powered systems are currently available in Fiat Auto Group vehicles in Europe and South America and Ford Motor Co. vehicles in North America.
In a related announcement, Microsoft and Hyundai-Kia, along with the Institute for Information Technology Advancement (IITA), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to co-establish an automotive IT innovation center with the goal of promoting innovation and opportunities for Korean software and device vendors in the global market.
Comments
Withouth the SYNC, how will the Focus sell?
(don't answer, it's a koan)
The latest Doctor Who featured an AI guidance system in peoples' cars that eventually released toxic/deadly gas across the globe...think Microsoft saw that episode?
If you stare at that opening picture long enough, it starts to look like some kind of consumer-electronics porn closeup.
It kind of looks like a face...
[img240.imageshack.us]
The first manufacturer that puts this in a truly desirable vehicle is going to rule the world.
hey this just popped up on my internal news links here at the big M.. I was gonna send it in!
I'm just surprised and excited by the expansion, gives credit to MSFT when they could use a little boost... they better spread out ASAP before i_____ comes out from apple.
@DannyBN: like the Titanium X from earlier?
@Mad_Science: Hey baby, want to share an I/O port?
they should call it BSOD
@Starlton Heston, Gushing post-mother: As long as you exclude North America from "the world", sure.
I used the SYNC in a Ford a couple of weeks ago. Works with my Zune like a charm. It's pretty responsive, but it if is lighting fast, it would be awesome. Anyway, I think this is the only way to control an 80Gb player while driving without much distraction. Since it is supposed to work with the iPod, I think they should mandate this in every car.
@DannyBN: sadly, oh so true, though I was including mass amounts of hope for NA being graced with some tasty euro mobiles :D
So, when is the first service pack coming out?
@Starlton Heston, Gushing post-mother: It's not for lack of trying. We do get watered down versions of the Astra and Vectra.
And we used to get a respectable version of the Focus...
*dejected sigh*
@DannyBN: Most people (I hope) who want truly desirable (in my opinion) vehicles, don't want more techno-wizardry.
As a matter of fact, let's start ripping some of the extraneous electronics out of the cars for people who like to drive.
Let the Focus faithful have their SYNC. Give me RWD, a manual transmission, and maybe a radio.
Staying with the trend of copying other companies successes, a Chinese computer company called Marcoruff has created their very own infotainment system named SUNC. A model is pictured below....
@smalleyxb122: I need to add remote start to your list. Winter mornings are killer around here.
@indy360: Yes, more bureaucracy, that's the spirit. The government can fix all of our problems, because after all, responsible driving isn't really the driver's responsibility.
This makes me want to replace my car's ECU with a Linux machine so it'll bounce off everything I hit.
With all due respect, lumping Hyundai/Kia, Ford, Fiat, and Suzuki in the same basket seems ... shamefully appropriate. If SYNC is what struggling carmakers turn to when times get tough, that's their clearest sign of desperation yet.
If that's all the innovation we have to look forward to from these companies, I recommend they simply sell all their assets to idiots with too much money in their pockets (Kerkorian and Microsoft, perhaps).
I can see it now: shoddy plastic cars laden with imported electronics displaying "Ford Inside" stickers on the hood.
Both my cars are 10 years old. I haven't ridden in a brand new car in...oh, quite awhile. Except for one hybrid.
I am going to be clueless when/if I drive a new one.
On the other hand, I do know how to start a 1957 New Yorker.
if Ford has a lock on "SYNC" perhaps they could give Lance Bass a couple of grand for "N*SYNC"
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