Ford offers Sync download for voice control of smartphone apps

Ford Fiesta owners can download Sync Applink for hands-free voice control of smartphone applications while driving.

Sync extends app functionality to the car using voice and steering-wheel controls. It offers a better alternative to manually controlling apps while driving.

The app became available on Wednesday for 2011 Fiesta owners at www.syncmyride.com, and it works with the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android-based smartphones.

Pandora Internet radio, Stitcher news radio and OpenBreak (for listening to Twitter posts) are the first Sync-enabled mobile apps.

Recent studies show 46 percent of adults who have smartphones have apps, and 36 percent of those admit to using them while commuting. The study also found that 55 percent of smartphone owners prefer voice command for the smartphone-integrated user interface in their cars.

To access a mobile app with a Sync-paired phone, a driver can press the voice button on the steering wheel and give the command “mobile applications,” followed by the name of the app to launch.

By Michelle Koueiter