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(Credit: Automotive News)

Car Tech: Suppliers of navigation systems and their automaker customers are facing a tough new competitor. And the competitor is, literally, in their pocket.

That pesky device stuck to the windshield continues to cause trouble, too.

According to a J.D. Power and Associates study, 60 percent of people with a factory-installed navigation system also own either a portable device or a smartphone with a navigation system. In both cases, most consumers prefer to use the installed navigation system.

But one in four, given a choice, ignores the installed system–and that might spell trouble for the future.

Thirty-six percent of survey respondents had both a portable navigation device–such as those from TomTom International and Garmin–and a system installed in their vehicle. And 28 percent of consumers with both say they prefer to get directions from the portable device.

The pattern is similar for users of smartphones: twenty-four percent of respondents have them, and 28 percent of those with both a smartphone and an installed system say they prefer to use the phone.

The October survey of 17,517 drivers suggests no immediate serious trouble for suppliers that provide navigation systems. The list includes Clarion, Denso, Alpine Electronics, Pioneer, Harman International Industries, Hyundai Mobis, and Delphi Automotive.

But they shouldn’t be complacent, said Mike Marshall, director of automotive emerging technologies at J.D. Power. “It’s important that suppliers take into account some of the features that make these systems preferable,” Marshall said.

Those features include ease of use and more frequent updates for maps and points of interest.

Also, “Prices of factory-installed navigation systems need to stay competitive,” Marshall said.

Clarion appears to be meeting the challenge. The Cypress, Calif., unit of the Tokyo company partnered with Ford Motor to create navigation systems for the automaker’s vehicles. Several of those models led the industry in the Power study, which asked consumers to rate factory-installed navigation systems.

The top four systems in the survey were the ones in the Ford Fusion, Flex and Taurus and the Lincoln MKS. Clarion supplied all of them.

Clarion supplied 13 of the 50 vehicles with navigation systems that ranked better than the industry average. Denso and Harman, each had 11 vehicles in the top 50.

Marshall said that one of the factors in Clarion’s success is its partnership with Ford.

“Clarion also supplies the Nissan Infiniti vehicles, which aren’t scoring as high as the Ford vehicles but they are still doing well,” he said. “But it’s that true partnership that really brings it home, and it’s not one supplier all by itself.”

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GPS Business News: In the United Kingdom Ford started to sell MirrorNavi, an after-market navigation accessory that replaces an existing rear-view mirror. The product consists of an ordinary mirror and a 3.5-inch touchscreen display on the far left side with Garmin’s navigation software.

The device integrates RDS-TMC for real-time traffic information as well as a built-in Bluetooth chipset for hands-free calls.

The MirrorNavi can be installed in any Ford car (except the Ranger and 2009 Ka) by local Ford dealerships for £300 plus installation charges.
 

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Electronista: Ford added a new feature to its MyFord Touch in-dash car system on its way to launch. A new Eco-Routes feature gives drivers an extra option for GPS navigation that picks the most fuel-efficient path: it will avoid highways but still try to use major roads where the car can keep a consistent speed and save fuel. The system looks at historical data along with live traffic conditions to gauge where stop-and-go traffic might waste gas. (more…)

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Engadget: The 2010 Detroit Auto Show has just kicked off and Ford’s plans for the 2011 Focus have been made official.

While others might care more about the 155bhp or new six-speed dual-clutch transmission, we’re best pleased by the inclusion of the MyFord touch control system.

This setup was designed to drag the car dash into the modern touchscreen era, and our comprehensive hands-on revealed it to be a most impressive bit of tech.

Two displays flank the analog speed gauge, but the pièce de résistance is an 8-inch, 800 x 480 optional screen landing in the center of the dash.

Endued with a web browser, it’ll connect via 3G or 4G modems and concurrently act as a WiFi hotspot. Add in a bunch of forthcoming apps and compatibility with any Bluetooth device, and you’ve got a tech lover’s dream system.

The next generation Focus should enter production near the end of 2010, giving us a full year to write a “vroom, vroom” app for our smartphones.

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iPodNN: Some Ford cars shipping next year will support iTunes Tagging, the automaker has announced.

In vehicles equipped with HD Radio receivers, people will be able to push “Tag” buttons on their displays, automatically saving the track data from on-air music.

Once an iPod is docked with a car via Ford Sync, up to 100 tags will be transferable for later display in iTunes. Tagged songs are generally meant to be bought through the iTunes Store.

HD Radio remains a relatively niche technology, but is now said to be an option for just under 2,000 radio stations in the US. Ford has not revealed which car lines will support the tagging technology.

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TWICE: Ford said its Sync radios reduce driver distraction compared to using MP3 players and other devices while on the road, according to research conducted by Ford.

The Sync is a voice-controlled car radio that also uses voice commands to call up music on devices that link to the car radio, such as iPods or cellphones. The study participants spent an average of 25 seconds with their eyes off the road to select a song on an MP3 player compared with two seconds to perform the same task via the Sync.

The study included 25 regular Sync users who were tested using a driving simulator. The participants were asked to dial a number on their cellphones and retrieve a name from their cellphones’ phonebooks and other tasks. Ford then measured any deviation in their lane position, speed changes plus eyes-off-the-road time.

Ford said its voice interface reduced distraction. Reading a text message on a handheld phone typically required 11 seconds of eyes off the road compared to 2 seconds with the Sync, which “reads aloud” text messages from a cellphone.

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Ars technica: While car companies worry about how best to convince consumers about that extended warranty and consumers are trying to figure out which vehicle is fuel-efficient but doesn’t look like a toy, Microsoft has decided that the next best thing for your automobile is… search.

The software giant has announced it will be expanding its Automotive Business Unit (ABU) to include services in addition to software. Adding services to existing software solutions is part of a recent and much broader Microsoft effort, but that’s mostly been focused on Windows and Windows Live. The first automotive service is Microsoft Live Search for Devices (LS4D), which allows partners to develop web search applications for in-vehicle use.

LS4D can be added to Microsoft’s existing entertainment and information (infotainment) technology. Carmakers can choose choose among voice commands, an in-car screen, or both, to give drivers access to the Live Search engine in cars and other vehicles. Microsoft did not disclose which automakers have already jumped on LS4D, but those already on board with Microsoft include Fiat in Europe, Ford in North America, and Hyundai-Kia in Asian markets.

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MSNMoney: Nuance Communications said thursday that Ford Motor Co. has integrated Nuance speech technologies in several new European car models.

Nuance said the technology is part of a system which allows drivers to navigate the car’s phone, cruise control and audio systems using the human voice.

The system enables drivers to place calls, enter an address to a navigation system, select a desired temperature, and control the audio system with a voice command, according to Nuance.

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Information Week Digital Life Blog: Microsoft is reported to be looking to acquire Garmin, the navigation system company.

There are a few reasons. Let’s start with the most immediate and obvious: cars. Microsoft has a system called Sync, a $395 (around €280) option that’s going to be offered in Fords, Lincolns, and Mercurys, starting with the 2008 Ford Focus.

The system uses Bluetooth and USB; does hands-free calling and voice-activated music selection; reads text messages aloud; can sync up with iPods, cell phones, and a variety of other devices; has steering wheel controls and a dashboard screen; and may, in later models, allow drivers to create spoken text messages and e-mails.

Garmin already has partnerships with both Microsoft and Ford, offering features such as updated gas prices, weather conditions and forecasts, and dynamic trip routing based on traffic and construction, stemming from a partnership with MSN.

The system offered in Fords includes Bluetooth capability and an MP3 player, reminiscent of Sync.

Despite a recent dip, Garmin’s also seen its stock more than double since the beginning of the year and recently increased annual earnings expectations above than the already higher-than-expected initial estimates. But mobile may be where Microsoft really sees the interest.

Last week, Nokia announced it was buying Navteq for $8.1 billion. InformationWeek’s Richard Martin wrote last week that the Navteq deal might be as much about location-based services in smartphones as it is about any of the more common uses of GPS navigation today.

Microsoft’s been working hard recently to get Windows Mobile onto as many phones as possible, and navigation technology could be important for the future of that strategy.

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Slashgear: It is refreshing to see that Ford is paying attention to the consumer electronics market. They have crafted a system for cars to communicate with music players and cell phones.

The new system called Sync will allow the driver to control their music player with either buttons on the steering wheel, or with voice recognition. Also, if you’re one that gets a lot of text messages, the system will also read those aloud for you.

Sync will be available as an option on the Ford Focus this fall for €290. Nine other cars will have it as an option by the end of the year.

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Gizmodo: Ford Sync is a new system developed by Ford and Microsoft that aims to fully integrate your MP3 player, cell phone and car computer with a speech recognition system.

You will be able to climb into your car and say, ‘Play artist Cliff Richard’, and the annoying old timer will start blaring out of your speakers.

It can even read out your text messages for you in an old-skool synthesised voice, which even understands lazy abbreviations like GR8.

Jump to see it in action on a video featuring the action movie guy voice over.

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Gizmodo: Microsoft’s newest patent shows off a car stereo system that takes has a dock for a portable audio device. This could possibly mean either a Windows Mobile-type or a Zune-type device can be easily docked into the the car so they can share music.

This product is part of the Ford and Microsoft effort to put this type of entertainment system into cars, and Fords announced that it will offer the gadget in 12 of their 2008 model cars.

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