Automobile manufacturers and IT companies always feel inadequate in the development and marketing of automotive communication system, and now they are finally on the "road".

Has car communication field become the new "Rustbelt" industry?

No, that's not the fact and we do not think so. Although car manufacturers has never stepped on drums over the years in the development and promotion of automotive communication technologies, now they finally have the opportunity to make a successful battle. If with the support of the IT companies on West Coast of the United States, the automotive industry may get beats with the pulse of IT technology and get out of long difficult trap; while the network "Smart Car" concept, would no longer talk idiotic nonsense.

In January this year at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Ford Motor Company and Microsoft, respectively had vigorously advocated the new automotive technologies they cooperated, which is undoubtedly the best interpretation of the Union between the western IT companies and west central car manufacturers. Later this year, Ford will introduce more than 10 new models: Explorer, Crossover Utility Vehicle Edge, as well as entry-level cars such as Focus, and all of these new vehicles will be equipped with a set of Sync in-dash system. With the system, drivers can make or answer hands-free phone call with hands on the steering wheel, and they can also send mobile phone messages without affecting driving, even use the media player on Windows CE. "Sync is just like a small built-in car computer."--introduced by Gary Jablonski, product development manager of Ford car information entertainment system. Ford makes every effort to integrate all features of smart phones in this system.

Automobile manufacturers and automotive parts manufacturers had introduced hands-free communication services based on Bluetooth long before, but with poor compatibility between the dashboard of such system and devices, which are very easy to be eliminated. The introduction of Sync is to solve the above problem. Microsoft said, Sync will support almost all Bluetooth devices, including Apple Computer's iPod and Microsoft's Zune. Therefore, drivers can concentrate on grasping the steering wheel, without distraction; Sync can accept voice commands, select songs for playback, and can provide 25 kinds of messages edited in advance (such as "I will be late"), and the message can be sent as long as drivers press a button on the steering wheel. Users can also prepare their own messages in the Ford site and through the USB drive of vehicle upload to Sync system. The two companies all kept silent on the cost of Sync.

Automobile manufacturers also target the other sub-areas of automotive telematics and communication technologies (such as navigation, maintenance monitoring and accident response, etc); Chrysler plans to provide a new service in its 2008 vehicles similar to the OnStar navigation system of General Motors Corp. by cooperating with HughesTelematics.