ford

Ford Motor Company's chief executive officer is reportedly the new front-runner to replace outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. According to technology blog AllThingsD, Alan Mulally has "warmed" to the idea of taking over as CEO of the Redmond, ... Washington-based firm. Ballmer announced his retirement last month but doesn't plan to leave Microsoft for another eleven months or so. That means there's lots of time for the media to speculate about who might replace Ballmer as head of one of the world's largest and most influential tech companies. Sources Say Mulally "Amenable" to Idea of ... (view more)

The Ford Motor Co. is hoping to make it an easy choice for North American social networking fans when deciding on a new vehicle. Thanks to a feature called "Sync AppLinks", those who buy or lease the forthcoming 2011 Ford Fiesta will be able to use ... applications on their smartphones simply by verbalizing commands and using buttons on their steering wheel. Ford is pitching Sync AppLinks as a safety feature that makes it easier for car owners to use mobile phones while operating their motor vehicle. In large pockets throughout North America, non-hands-free mobile phones are illegal when in use ... (view more)

Hoping to turn their sagging fortunes around, Ford is set to debut a highly-anticipated technology allowing cars to parallel park themselves without driver assistance. Better yet, the entire self-parking experience is promised to be ... scratch-and-dent-free. The technology relies on ultrasonic sensors on the front and rear of the automobile, combined with electric power steering to angle and guide the vehicle into tight parking spaces. (Source: siliconvalley.com ) While the process sounds complicated, all a driver has to do is push one button and the system takes over from there. A visual or ... (view more)

While none of us look forward to growing another year older, there are some birthdays that are better than others. Among the most prolific is our "sweet sixteen" where for many of us, the dream of being able to operate a vehicle on our own terms ... becomes a reality. The first few years are all the same: the constant begging to use the family car on any given weekend is matched with stressed warnings by our parents to reduce our driving speed, turn down the radio and buckle up for safety. While we always practice "safe driving" when our parents are riding with us, the rules all change when we ... (view more)

Microsoft has reportedly begun showing U.S. automakers Tellme, an alternative software for in-car navigation and assistance currently being offered exclusively by General Motor Corp.'s OnStar communications service. The technology was obtained by ... Microsoft in May, when the company acquired Tellme Networks Inc., a phone software company. Microsoft recently displayed the voice-recognition software, which allows mobile phone users to receive spoken data from a database, at an auto industry conference. Please, 'Tellme': How does it work? The Tellme service would connect through a Bluetooth- ... (view more)

As if crazy drivers gabbing on their cell phones wasn't enough of an irritation on the road, imagine those same people being able to check their email while behind the wheel. If it sounds like a demented fantasy, think again. Microsoft and Ford are ... reportedly set to announce a joint partnership that will place Windows-based computers in Ford cars. The car PCs will run on software currently being referred to as Sync. In addition to email, Sync will feature hands-free cell phone capabilities, music and media downloads, and automatic navigation updates. The latter features are, of course, just ... (view more)

With the North American automotive industry in a tailspin at the moment, automakers are turning to the latest and most popular technology to regain appeal. And, for anyone not stuck in a cave or buried by a landslide for the last five years, the ... clearest way to catch a techie's eye is to flash an Apple iPod -- the industry's current undisputed "Golden Toy". That's exactly what Ford, General Motors, and even Mazda are doing, as they work with engineers to integrate Apple's wares into future audio systems. Isn't this technology already out there? At this time, most iPod owners are forced to ... (view more)