AfterDawn: News

Ford replaces Microsoft with BlackBerry for its Sync in-car entertainment system

Ford has announced that its new in-car entertainment system, newly updated to version 3, has replaced Microsoft with BlackBerry for the underlying operating system.

Sync 3 uses a variant of BlackBerry's QNX operating system, after the first two versions ran on a variant of Windows.



While Microsoft has often boasted of its in-car system and its partnership with Ford, but QNX offers more modern features. A few examples are capacitive touchscreen support, pinch and zoom gestures, Wi-Fi OTA updates, and support for Siri.

A few of the launch apps that are supported are Spotify, iHeartRadio and NPR One.

Ford said that "hardware and software decisions were based on identifying the technology that would best meet the expectations for performance by our customers."

Source:
Recode

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 12 Dec 2014 21:54

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• 15 comments

• hearme0

  WORST DECISION EVER!!!
  
  Seriously, BB is a dying company. It's like eating an already dying animal that has a rotting corpse. F THAT!
  
  I manage a BB server at work and it truly is a dying company.
  
  And who really gives a rat's ass about pinch-to-zoom in the F'ing car? Cricking your wrist/hand to do that while behind the wheel would be a pain in the ass (or wrist in this case)!
  
  Capacitive touch isn't that important either in the car. Maybe a little nice but not that big a deal.
  
  And OTA updates via wi-fi???? I highly doubt most peeps will ever update their car while sitting in the garage barely catching a modicum of the wireless signal they have in their house (if any at all).
  
  
  I've seen head-up-your-ass decisions in the corporate world but seriously???????????? This is gonna be a swift kick in the bum for Ford later on.
  
  I'm a HUGE fan of Ford too.....just lost a little respect for their 'long-term forecast model'

  13.12.2014 12:46 #1

• DarthMopar

  This may be a niche that Blackberry can thrive in if they get it right. Obviously, their mobile sales are crap, but if they can get traction in this market and sell the OS to more than one automaker, they may have a chance. OTA updates is a huge bonus, should lengthen the service life of the OS, as well as keep the map software up to date. I REFUSE to pay for a DVD to update the Nav in my car when Google maps on my phone is 10X better.
  

  13.12.2014 13:14 #2

• mrkfour

  Originally posted by hearme0: WORST DECISION EVER!!!
  
  Seriously, BB is a dying company. It's like eating an already dying animal that has a rotting corpse. F THAT!
  
  I manage a BB server at work and it truly is a dying company.
  
  And who really gives a rat's ass about pinch-to-zoom in the F'ing car? Cricking your wrist/hand to do that while behind the wheel would be a pain in the ass (or wrist in this case)!
  
  Capacitive touch isn't that important either in the car. Maybe a little nice but not that big a deal.
  
  And OTA updates via wi-fi???? I highly doubt most peeps will ever update their car while sitting in the garage barely catching a modicum of the wireless signal they have in their house (if any at all).
  
  
  I've seen head-up-your-ass decisions in the corporate world but seriously???????????? This is gonna be a swift kick in the bum for Ford later on.
  
  I'm a HUGE fan of Ford too.....just lost a little respect for their 'long-term forecast model' What you say may be true, but what you fail to analyse is the financial aspect. You are a tech, so you think tech.... blablabla this that is better. okay. But what if BB is offering a better service altogether than MS for way lower royalties? And by service i mean problem solving + updating.
  
  I can certainly see BB offering good prices and conditions for their stuff given their financial position.
  

  13.12.2014 13:50 #3

• justchuck69

  This is the best solution since Microsoft screwed sync up but blocking out and interaction with apple devices Ford had to dump them and get the better software that can handle android and apple devices ! Microsoft screwed themselves ...again lol !
  
  

  Good Luck and Take Care

  13.12.2014 14:24 #4

• lindtech

  Originally posted by hearme0: WORST DECISION EVER!!!
  
  Seriously, BB is a dying company. It's like eating an already dying animal that has a rotting corpse. F THAT!
  
  I manage a BB server at work and it truly is a dying company.
  
  And who really gives a rat's ass about pinch-to-zoom in the F'ing car? Cricking your wrist/hand to do that while behind the wheel would be a pain in the ass (or wrist in this case)!
  
  Capacitive touch isn't that important either in the car. Maybe a little nice but not that big a deal.
  
  And OTA updates via wi-fi???? I highly doubt most peeps will ever update their car while sitting in the garage barely catching a modicum of the wireless signal they have in their house (if any at all).
  
  
  I've seen head-up-your-ass decisions in the corporate world but seriously???????????? This is gonna be a swift kick in the bum for Ford later on.
  
  I'm a HUGE fan of Ford too.....just lost a little respect for their 'long-term forecast model' Why don't you just come out and say what you think? Don't hold back!
  

  13.12.2014 14:57 #5

• DarthMopar

  Originally posted by lindtech:
  
  Why don't you just come out and say what you think? Don't hold back! ...please don't encourage him. This is Hearme's world; we're all just living in it.
  

  13.12.2014 16:32 #6

• bhetrick

  Originally posted by hearme0: WORST DECISION EVER!!!
  
  Seriously, BB is a dying company. It's like eating an already dying animal that has a rotting corpse. F THAT!
  
  I manage a BB server at work and it truly is a dying company.
  
  And who really gives a rat's ass about pinch-to-zoom in the F'ing car? Cricking your wrist/hand to do that while behind the wheel would be a pain in the ass (or wrist in this case)!
  
  Capacitive touch isn't that important either in the car. Maybe a little nice but not that big a deal.
  
  And OTA updates via wi-fi???? I highly doubt most peeps will ever update their car while sitting in the garage barely catching a modicum of the wireless signal they have in their house (if any at all).
  
  
  I've seen head-up-your-ass decisions in the corporate world but seriously???????????? This is gonna be a swift kick in the bum for Ford later on.
  
  I'm a HUGE fan of Ford too.....just lost a little respect for their 'long-term forecast model'
  You manage a BB server at work so that means you have the whole insight to the company... get over yourself.
  
  BB has fallen on bad times... name us one company who hasn't at one point or another.
  
  And I think Ford knows more about what features their customers want than some nutjob who spouts rubbish every chance he gets on AD.
  

  13.12.2014 18:18 #7

• cgiff

  Originally posted by hearme0: WORST DECISION EVER!!!
  
  Seriously, BB is a dying company. It's like eating an already dying animal that has a rotting corpse. F THAT!
  
  I manage a BB server at work and it truly is a dying company.
  
  And who really gives a rat's ass about pinch-to-zoom in the F'ing car? Cricking your wrist/hand to do that while behind the wheel would be a pain in the ass (or wrist in this case)!
  
  Capacitive touch isn't that important either in the car. Maybe a little nice but not that big a deal.
  
  And OTA updates via wi-fi???? I highly doubt most peeps will ever update their car while sitting in the garage barely catching a modicum of the wireless signal they have in their house (if any at all).
  
  
  I've seen head-up-your-ass decisions in the corporate world but seriously???????????? This is gonna be a swift kick in the bum for Ford later on.
  
  I'm a HUGE fan of Ford too.....just lost a little respect for their 'long-term forecast model' Originally posted by bhetrick: Originally posted by hearme0: WORST DECISION EVER!!!
  
  Seriously, BB is a dying company. It's like eating an already dying animal that has a rotting corpse. F THAT!
  
  I manage a BB server at work and it truly is a dying company.
  
  And who really gives a rat's ass about pinch-to-zoom in the F'ing car? Cricking your wrist/hand to do that while behind the wheel would be a pain in the ass (or wrist in this case)!
  
  Capacitive touch isn't that important either in the car. Maybe a little nice but not that big a deal.
  
  And OTA updates via wi-fi???? I highly doubt most peeps will ever update their car while sitting in the garage barely catching a modicum of the wireless signal they have in their house (if any at all).
  
  
  I've seen head-up-your-ass decisions in the corporate world but seriously???????????? This is gonna be a swift kick in the bum for Ford later on.
  
  I'm a HUGE fan of Ford too.....just lost a little respect for their 'long-term forecast model'
  You manage a BB server at work so that means you have the whole insight to the company... get over yourself.
  
  BB has fallen on bad times... name us one company who hasn't at one point or another.
  
  And I think Ford knows more about what features their customers want than some nutjob who spouts rubbish every chance he gets on AD. You should do some research on QNX Ford absolutely made the correct decision. There are many behind the scenes reasons for using QNX rather than the user interface features that the article briefly described

  14.12.2014 07:38 #8

• Tarsellis

  About bloody time. Sync F'N' S U C K S. Horrid, horrible, horrible interface. Uncostomizable, flaky, and unstable as hell. Every day I get in my ford I hate it a little bit more.

  14.12.2014 16:29 #9

• Mrguss

  Originally posted by hearme0: I'm a HUGE fan of Ford too... Ford is the #1 worse car maker ever exist now on days.
  It was ok in the 30's or 60's.
  
  Those garbage Ford cars of the last decades 'til today, just keep breaking & stupid owners just keep fixing them.
  
  Why !?
  
  I think BB will fail "down deeper" 'cos Ford. No the another way around.
  
  Just saying. lol
  

  Live Free or Die.
  The rule above all the rules is: Survive !
  Capitalism: Funnel most of the $$$ to the already rich.

  14.12.2014 17:34 #10

• DarthMopar

  Everyone is entitled to their opinion MrGuss, and no doubt your opinion is tied to personal experience; that being said, Iv'e owned several Fords, and with the exception of general wear & tare, they've held up fairly well. I'm not a Ford fan-boy; I'm die-hard Mopar, but I have no hate for Ford, and apparently quite a few others are happy with them, as well. Originally posted by WallStreetJournal: Ford's ranking climbed seven notches and tied with the industry's average number of flaws in the latest J.D. Power & Associates Initial Quality Study, which compiles rankings based on problems reported by owners during their first 90 days of ownership.

  14.12.2014 18:11 #11

• justchuck69

  Originally posted by Mrguss: Originally posted by hearme0: I'm a HUGE fan of Ford too... Ford is the #1 worse car maker ever exist now on days.
  It was ok in the 30's or 60's.
  
  Those garbage Ford cars of the last decades 'til today, just keep breaking & stupid owners just keep fixing them.
  
  Why !?
  
  I think BB will fail "down deeper" 'cos Ford. No the another way around.
  
  Just saying. lol LoL Let me guess you drive a chevy ... you know the junky car company that is getting sued because their junky cars are killing their users ( i think due to recalls there are about 44 deaths ) and the company had to get a bailout to keep a float ( would of been better to let Toyota buy them out at least the quality of cars and truck would of gotten better than the present state ) !
  
  

  Good Luck and Take Care

  15.12.2014 07:30 #12

• Mrguss

  Originally posted by justchuck69: LoL Let me guess you drive a chevy ...
  Imports only !
  
  
  

  Live Free or Die.
  The rule above all the rules is: Survive !
  Capitalism: Funnel most of the $$$ to the already rich.

  15.12.2014 17:54 #13

• mrkfour

  So blackberry is now involved with Ford and Mercedez-Benz (in F1 as a main sponsor). I wonder if both all parties involved are happy with that
  

  18.12.2014 18:20 #14

• Tarsellis

  Sounds like a lose/lose to me. Ford that can't make a user interface to save its life, and combine it with a company that's circling the drain and merely adds an abstraction layer to another's (google-java-android) OS for their device. Both completely worthy of spite and loathing, working together only magnify the reasons to flee.

  18.12.2014 20:57 #15