One great feature is connectivity. If you are talking on your mobile phone while heading out to your vehicle, you can continue the phone conversation on the Sync system once you've entered. This is easily accomplished by starting the vehicle and pressing the phone button on the steering wheel and you're connected to your current caller and conversation. This allows users to put down the phone and get both hands on the steering wheel.
The Sync system will beep and the radio display indicates "new text message." Press "OK" to display the phone number or name-if it's in your phone book-of the sender. If you would like to retrieve your text message, press "OK" again (or the voice button) and say "read message." Sync will read your incoming text messages aloud through the sound system, using its text-to-voice technology, so you never have to pull your eyes off the road or hands off the steering wheel. Next, the system will ask if you want to reply to the message. If so, you can scroll through 15 basic pre-selected text messages to find one that suits your response.
Another convenient feature is the phone can be located anywhere in the vehicle, whether the back seat, underneath the seat, in a pocket, or in the trunk; and you can still make or answer phone calls with the Sync system.
Hands-Free EntertainmentUSB, Line-In, and Bluetooth Streaming AudioWith the millions of iPods and other digital music players, the abundance of music content has never been so accessible, portable and obtainable. Sync offers an easy solution to connect your iPod or other media player by plugging in the device into the USB 2.0 port or auxiliary input jack. However, a device capable of plugging into the USB port can typically be read, sorted and controlled by the Sync system. This allows users to use voice commands to operate an iPod, Zune, or music saved on a memory stick. Finding and playing music by voice commands seems to be a safer approach to changing playlists or song titles, and it is fairly simple to operate. You are still able to access, search, and navigate through digital music via the radio controls. However, hands-free access to your music library doesn't require scrolling through albums, playlists, or any other way to search for music, and again, keeps your eyes on the road.
By pressing the "voice" button, Sync asks which option you would like, "phone, USB, read message, line-in"-along with several other command options. The coolest feature, and possibly the most technologically advanced feature of the system, Sync allows you to voice command play whatever song title, album, artist, genre or even similar music. For example, a simple voice command such as "Play artist Norah Jones" will go through all the content on the iPod and find any recordings that match that description. As we found out, the voice recognition system could be improved upon. While it did misinterpret a couple of requests, Sync brought up artists that sounded similar to the one requested and asked us to repeat "number 1 for Def Tones, number 2 for Norah Jones, or number 3 for Lionel Jones." Once the artist is selected, the system starts while displaying both the artist name and track title. The voice command system also allows selection of the next or previous track, or playing the next audio folder, because Sync has taken a few minutes during the initial connection to index all the audio files. Sync also supports pod casts, audio book, Bluetooth audio streaming, and Internet radio streaming from compatible web phones and PDAs.