Ford's SYNC infotainment system is alright, I GUESS, as wonky automotive infotainment systems go. But apparently The Masses don't like it very much, so Ford is planning to dump the Microsoft Windows system on which it's based, for one based on a platform from BlackBerry. This should go well.
I may be an old curmedgeon of a misfit, but I actually like having tactile buttons with which to control my radio and I don't feel the need to share on Facebook that omgyouguysI'mdrivingaFiestaRIGHTNOW, but for people that do, they want their system to work. Ford's SYNC system hasn't done so well in surveys, according to Bloomberg, so now the company is looking to partner with QNX, a division of BlackBerry, to get it to work better.
The people Bloomberg spoke to claim that now SYNC will just work oh-so-much better, as a BlackBerry, somehow, with faster response times and more flexibility.
I'm not sure how good of an idea this is, really, considering how BlackBerry itself seems to constantly be on the rocks, and the CEO's idea of the company's future is to get into the keyboard-making business, which made sense, in 1992, and never did, in cars.
The QNX system is already in use in some Audis, most BMWs, and the Chrysler Pacifica, according to the company's website. BMW's iDrive has gotten better since it first debuted, but it's not the most intuitive system out there.
But hey, Chrysler Pacifica!
For the record, Google is bringing an Android-based system to cars from GM, Honda, and Hyundai, and Apple is bringing a version of iOS to BMW, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz.
Photo credit: Ford