Ford Motor plans to unveil a deal with Microsoft in January that will put the software company's technology into some of the automaker's cars, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The system, to be called Sync, includes a hands-free Bluetooth wireless system and an in-vehicle operating system that eventually will be an option for the entire Ford brand lineup, the Journal said.
Sync is designed to enable hands-free mobile-phone communication and other wireless information transfers in the car, including e-mail and music downloads, the sources told the paper.
The technology will debut next year as an option on at least two Ford brand models, the Focus and Five Hundred sedans, a person familiar with the matter told the Journal. The paper also said the system would be an option on the entire lineup, including trucks starting in the 2008 model year.
The company plans to announce Sync at the Detroit auto show and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas during the week of January 10, and Microsoft spokesman Chris Elliott told the Journal that the company has been working with Ford on certain technologies and will have an announcement at the shows, but he declined to discuss specifics.
Representatives of Ford and Microsoft were not immediately available for comment.
