Ford to be powered by Microsoft: FordSync

The time time you get caught speeding, you may see a message on the dash that reads, “This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.” Okay, maybe not, but Ford has partnered up with Microsoft to develop FordSync, a new in-car digital system that fully integrates mobile entertainment and communications.

And it won’t just play friendly with their own Zune player either, as FordSync is designed to work with a wide range of digital music players, including musicphones and yes, even that other thing they call the iPod. What’s more, it’ll double as a voice-activated communicator so that you can do handsfree calling and text messaging. Multilingual versions will be made available to a wide range of Ford vehicles, including the Focus, Five Hundred, Edge, Freestyle, Explorer, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln MKX and MKZ.