Ford Motor Co. is relying on mobile phones to help drivers navigate quickly and safely.

The automaker has announced an application that synchronizes mobile phones to vehicle systems, allowing for a personalized driving experience. The application, "Traffic, Directions and Information," integrates the portability of mobile navigation with the power of vehicle display and audio systems, delivering real-time, turn-by-turn voice-activated interactions.

"Ford does offer built in navigation for those customers that want an integrated built in navigation and radio combo," said Joe Berry, a member of the Ford Sync team, Dearborn, MI. "However, take-rates across the industry for this single purpose feature are very low."

Ford is a global automotive company that manufactures and distributes to six continents with brands such as Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo.

To bring voice activated services into the application, Ford partnered with Microsoft to connect to real-time information via the user's mobile device.

If requesting directions, various search criteria are open to the user such as a 14-million-plus business directory. Drivers can say "Search near me" or the business name and then have the option to say "connect me," "directions" or "text me the info."

TDI sends the location and severity of traffic accidents or new road construction to users' mobile phones as a text message and broadcasts the information over the vehicle's audio system in real-time.

All directions incorporate the same real-time information on traffic jams, accidents and construction that is announced over the audio system or sent via SMS.

Users also have access to traffic reports and business searches that continually update based on real-time data.

The Sync TDI also offers special features and applications such as news that can be categorized specificly to user interests along with sports and weather updates.

Ford's TDI application works to counter the increasing popularity of phone-based navigation systems that are expected to outpace portable navigation devices in the coming years.

TDI couples a Bluetooth-enabled phone with Ford's Service Delivery Network voice portal to deliver information to the driver.

In the age of the smartphone, the navigation market has undergone a noticeable shift. Phone-based navigation is estimated to account for 36 percent of total navigation system shipments by 2011.

However, smartphones do not offer in-vehicle integration.

As per Forrester Research, automotive companies should integrate mobile navigation into their vehicles, which is exactly what Ford has done here.

"Sync is a multifunction gateway allowing access to personalized sports, weather, news, traffic and business listings [like 411] that have the directions to the business downloaded to the vehicle," Mr. Berry said.

"And, all of these features are accessed through voice, which means you can access them while the car is moving in a safe way," he said.

Sync TDI leverages the consumer's existing mobile device.

TDI achieves this in a number of ways, one of which being the inclusion of an integrated GPS receiver, which connects customers to turn-by-turn driving instructions.

Over all, the application is equipped with voice-control to manage each one of these functions while in the vehicle.

Vehicles that are eligible must be equipped with Sync but Ford's voice-activated navigation system is not required. Ford then outfits these vehicles with the proper GPS receiver that compatibly runs Sync with TDI.

Any owner of a 2010 Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury vehicle equipped with Sync can download the application at http://www.syncmyride.com at no cost or monthly fee for the first three years.

However, Sync software is available at the retail price of $395, which includes the cost of the GPS receiver.

"Mobile [allows for] connectivity between Sync and the world of content and information," Mr. Berry said.