Sync 4A Update Overview from Ford - Larger Apple CarPlay Android Auto interface, added dial functionality & more

[Kamuelaflyer]

Well, they never put a D on Engage, so maybe they just decided to match the tenses.

It just sounds wrong to say though.

It's also used in airliners with glass cockpits (which is pretty much all of them these days).

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[Gullwingdmc]

It's also used in airliners with glass cockpits (which is pretty much all of them these days).

I meant Unbridle sounds odd to say. It sounds more like an action than a mode.

 

[generaltso]

I meant Unbridle sounds odd to say. It sounds more like an action than a mode.

Maybe Ford thinks that pressing the button is telling the car to take that action. Kinda like Engage.

 

[Logal727]

@Gullwingdmc Since you were complaining about the home and settings buttons being gray and not matching the background, check out the Chinese UI on a 23MY car

I can’t even read any of those words, wow Ford fail!

 

[Logal727]

Hopefully none, I wish they'd remove it all together to free up some memory on SYNC so its not so sluggish all the time.

Sync was more sluggish before Alexa. I’ve seen no proof that Alexa adds any detrimental overhead to the system. The fact that it runs on so many low power devices means it’s probably a very lightweight enhancement.

 

[JustSomeQuickGuy]

That is a great walk through, Thank You!

What is they button up next to settings? It looks like an Android Auto button that showed up when you switched away from AA.

I don’t know if you have an iPhone around, or would be great to see what the tiled CarPlay Home Screen looks like in the new full screen.

Interesting that they left the D off Unbridled, I hope that’s an accident. Unbridle seems like an odd phrasing.
If you tap it what does it look like?

Yeah, that icon comes up when you leave Android Auto, you tap it and it takes you back into Android Auto.

Sorry, no iPhone..

I didn't even noticed it wasn't Unbridled ha, it goes to an orange looking mode. I can take a picture next time I'm in the car.

 

[ThatGuyLando]

Sync was more sluggish before Alexa. I’ve seen no proof that Alexa adds any detrimental overhead to the system. The fact that it runs on so many low power devices means it’s probably a very lightweight enhancement.

Yeah I meant it as a joke, as in remove "anything" we don't need to free up some resources. I've recently learned that Mach e's have a Snapdragon 820A, which is a cpu released in 2016... I don't think any amount of programming will fix the speed.

Some hope remains as China's Mach-e's have the option to upgrade to a slightly newer cpu. Finger's crossed Ford extends that option to other countries.

 

[JustSomeQuickGuy]

Thanks for posting this. I co-founded Android Auto back when I was at Google, but sorry, your audio focus bugs are not something I can fix anymore. (I would use wired AA, multiplexing the wireless radio properly is a constant problem they have).

I did spend way too much time learning and doing automotive company driver distraction testing. It's interesting that Ford did this -- especially with the additional affordances they seemingly put inside and above the knob to indicate its modality and the current setting. Four questions:

(1) When you select an HVAC control (such as temperature as you showed in your video) will the knob "time out" after a period of time, or does it stay active to change temperature until you change it?

(2) Are there any buttons you thought you would be able to then adjust with the knob that weren't adjustable with the knob? How does the knob work if you bring up the full-screen HVAC controls?

(3) Did the system bring up any tutorial when you first used your car to help you understand this multi-control?

(4) if you don't ever select an HVAC control to adjust, and just twist the knob, does it continue to change volume if there is audio of any type playing?

1) Yep, after about 2-3 seconds it will timeout and go away if you dont touch anything, seems all the things you can control with the knob act this way.

2) This is my first experience with the UI, but so far I haven't felt.. "oh I wish I could also adjust X with the knob" -- speaking the knob, it does feel a little cheap.

There's a full screen for climate controls? ? I guess I haven't made it into that one yet, I've only controlled the climate via the buttons on the bottom. I'll try it out and let you know.

3) None that I saw, but the dealership did turn it on and drive it around their lot, so maybe it did and they closed it out?

4) Yep, it defaults the media volume, it only allows you to control the climate stuff after you click one of the buttons first.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

I've recently learned that Mach e's have a Snapdragon 820A, which is a cpu released in 2016... I don't think any amount of programming will fix the speed.

Most modern aircraft have 80286 or 80386 processors for their flight management system.

 

[Mini166]

I meant Unbridle sounds odd to say. It sounds more like an action than a mode.

Maybe we should say it like we are casting a Harry Potter spell as we turn it on: “UNBRIDLE!!” ??

 

[scoopman]

1) Yep, after about 2-3 seconds it will timeout and go away if you dont touch anything, seems all the things you can control with the knob act this way.

2) This is my first experience with the UI, but so far I haven't felt.. "oh I wish I could also adjust X with the knob" -- speaking the knob, it does feel a little cheap.

There's a full screen for climate controls? ? I guess I haven't made it into that one yet, I've only controlled the climate via the buttons on the bottom. I'll try it out and let you know.

3) None that I saw, but the dealership did turn it on and drive it around their lot, so maybe it did and they closed it out?

4) Yep, it defaults the media volume, it only allows you to control the climate stuff after you click one of the buttons first.

full screen climate controls are a pop up thing that’s the button just to the right of The Knob.

 

[intensifi]

Most modern aircraft have 80286 or 80386 processors for their flight management system.

Yikes!

I didn’t think you could buy these anymore! Or were you just pulling our collective legs?

 

[ThatGuyLando]

Most modern aircraft have 80286 or 80386 processors for their flight management system.

That's kind of like comparing an Arduino vs. a Raspberry pi. One is meant to do one thing very well over and over, the other is meant to do a lot of things.

Im sure sync4 would run smooth on that if it looked like this:

 

[intensifi]

1) Yep, after about 2-3 seconds it will timeout and go away if you dont touch anything, seems all the things you can control with the knob act this way.

2) This is my first experience with the UI, but so far I haven't felt.. "oh I wish I could also adjust X with the knob" -- speaking the knob, it does feel a little cheap.

There's a full screen for climate controls? ? I guess I haven't made it into that one yet, I've only controlled the climate via the buttons on the bottom. I'll try it out and let you know.

3) None that I saw, but the dealership did turn it on and drive it around their lot, so maybe it did and they closed it out?

4) Yep, it defaults the media volume, it only allows you to control the climate stuff after you click one of the buttons first.

There is a guy on here that will sell you metal overlays for both knobs so they are more “robust”.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

That's kind of like comparing an Arduino vs. a Raspberry pi. One is meant to do one thing very well over and over, the other is meant to do a lot of things.

Im sure sync4 would run smooth on that if it looked like this:

That’s not the FMS system, it’s the MCDU which is one interface to the FMS. The point is, arguing a later generation chipset would result in a less laggy interface is not necessarily true.

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