Ford Teams with Microsoft

If you haven't yet seen it, there's news brewing in the automotive electronics world. The Wall Street Journal and the Detroit Free Press have reported in the past two days that Ford Motor Co. has joined forces with Microsoft Corp. on a new automotive software system. Dubbed "Sync," the new system will reportedly serve as a foundation for hands-free cell phone communication, as well as the ability to send and receive e-mail and download music. For the automotive industry, this is major news for two reasons: First, its a big win for Microsoft, which has been competing furiously with other operating systems vendors to gain a better foothold in vehicles. Second, it's deja vu for infotainment market. Since the infamous infotainment bust unfolded over the past half-decade, suppliers haven't talked much about e-mail in vehicles. Instead, the focus has been on entertainment. But now, vehicle e-mail is back again, and we can only assume Ford and Microsoft have big plans for it.
How will this play out? It's really up to the consumer. The question isn't whether Ford and M'Soft can make it happen; it;s whether consumers will ultimately accept the idea of bringing the office into their vehicles.
Read about it at http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6146286.html.