Ford Prefers BlackBerry QNX to Microsoft For Developing In-Car Infotainment System Sync 3

By Kamal Nayan - 12 Dec '14 12:39PM

Ford Motor has ended partnership with Microsoft and instead collaborated with BlackBerry to develop next version of its car infotainment system Sync 3. It will be rolling out with new vehicles in the next couple of years.

The revamped Sync 3 will replace the troublesome myFordTouch dashboard system which was built on the top of Microsoft's Windows Embedded platform. The previous dashboard was so bulky and confusing, it earned Ford poor ratings in popular surveys.

Sync 3 is based on QNX, the operating system owned by BlackBerry.

The new system is more intuitive and simpler with larger fonts, brighter colors and touchscreen controls that look similar to smartphone user interfaces. It has also got natural Siri-like voice commands.

"Simplicity has value," Parish Hanna, global director of human-machine interface at Ford, said in the company press release. "Reducing the number of things on-screen also makes control easier and is designed to limit the number of times a driver has to glance at the screen."

"We considered all the modern smartphones and mobile operating systems and created something familiar but unique," Hanna added.

Sync 3 will also allow system to sync with apps in the user's iOS or Android phone. Ford said at present 70 apps have been made compatible with the system including streaming radio apps such as Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, iHeartRadio Auto, SiriusXM Radio and NPR One.