Automobile company Ford announced that they have partnered with traffic app Waze. The announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held at Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the company, the traffic app will be integrated in the software of selected Ford models.
Some Ford and Lincoln models with the SYNC 3 infotainment system will have seamless Waze integration. Users just need to plug their smartphones though a universal serial bus (USB) port and the app will then be projected to the car's dashboard.
This means that the selected car models will have features native to the Waze app, like navigation support, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane support, as well as traffic warnings and updates.
The models will also support a new feature called "Talk to Waze." This new feature is a hands-free control for the app, and it works much like a digital assistant. Users can issue requests via voice commands, so they would not have to fidget with their phone when they need the app's assistance.
Don Butler, Ford's Chief Executive Officer, said that this is part of their "human-centered" approach towards vehicle technology. He said that features like these make it "as easy as possible for people to integrate the tools that matter most to them."
The Waze app is known for crowdsourcing from its many users to deliver real-time updates to drivers on the road. This means that the app can gather data from a number of sources in an area, and then send those data to people who are still planning their routes. It aims to make a convenient driving experience, with the added effect of redirecting traffic to highways and roads that are less congested.
Ford's partnership with Waze may be their most important announcement at the CES, but it is not the only subject tackled. They also talked about "connected cities" technology and cloud-based transportation services.
