Ford in SYNC with technology

CSR has announced that its BlueCore4-ROM Bluetooth silicon features in Ford's in-car communications and entertainment system called SYNC. As well as offering hands free operation of personal media players (PMPs), CSR's technology allows SYNC users full hands free operation of Bluetooth enabled mobile phones, to make calls and access music. Ford's SYNC will be fully integrated into twelve Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, including the 2008 Focus, Taurus X and Explorer, by the end of the year, and will be available or standard in nearly every Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle by the end of next year.

Ford's SYNC is a fully integrated communications system that can host nearly any PMP, including the Apple iPod, Microsoft Zune, PlaysForSure players and most USB storage devices. The SYNC uses CSR's technology to act as a hands free car kit for mobile phone calls; it can automatically access names and numbers on a mobile phone's SIM-based address book into the vehicle using the Bluetooth protocol stack software in conjunction with the firmware running on BlueCore4 silicon.

CSR's Bluetooth technology is AEC-Q100 qualified and is tested to withstand the difficult conditions of the automotive environment. Ford's SYNC utilises CSR's BlueCore4-ROM Plug-n-Go, a single-chip radio and baseband IC for Bluetooth systems which supports enhanced data rates (EDR) of up to 3Mbps. With the on-chip CSR Bluetooth firmware, BlueCore4-ROM Plug-n-Go provides a fully compliant Bluetooth system for data and voice communications. The device incorporates auto-calibration and built-in self-test (BIST) routines to simplify development, type approval and production test. All hardware and device firmware is fully compliant with the Bluetooth v2.0 and EDR specification, including eSCO (enhanced SCO, for retransmission of dropped voice packets).