Ford SYNC and Spotify get cosy

It’s reported that with the launch of Spotify in the U.S., Ford are planning to add music streaming to their in-car wi-fi SYNC system.

For the technophobes amongst you the headline may sound like a bunch of geek-speak. Spotify? What on earth is Spotify? And Ford SYNC? Never heard of it, you may well say. But you will be hearing more. Much more.

Let’s start with the car stuff – Ford SYNC. Ford SYNC has been available on Fords for our Colonial Cousins for some time. Basically, it takes any mobile connection and turns it in to a secure wi-fi within the car. Just like your broadband wi-fi at home.

That means that up to five devices can connect in-car to the Interweb without any complicated configurations or USB hook-ups needed. Which makes life a great deal easier, and means passengers can do their thing without whingeing. All clever stuff.

Spotify is a Swedish owned – but UK-based – company which offer a huge array of streaming music on demand. It partners with all the big record labels and offers millions of music tracks on demand, and can even sync favourite playlists so you can listen off-line.

If you want to use Spotify on the go you’ll have to opt for their ‘Whistles and Bells’ package which, for £10 a month, gives you access to everything in their vast catalogue, at a decent rate, and advert-free.

So now you know what Spotify and SYNC are, you can appreciate that the news that Ford are getting cosy with Spotify now Spotify is launching in the U.S. is good news for drivers.

But, you may reasonably ask, how does that help me as Ford don’t offer SYNC in the UK?Ah, but SYNC arrives in the UK in 2012 in the Focus and is likely to roll out quickly across Ford’s range, so it’s all very relevant.

Spotify tech bods are showing Spotify working with the SYNC API and using SYNC’s Applink to stream music in-car at a TechCrunch Hackathon (I know, geek-speak) this weekend, highlighting the possibilities of SYNC and Spotify working together.

Not an official link-up…yet.

Source: Autoblog