[Infowarrior] - Ford launches Tweeting car

[Richard Forno]

I shall withold comment on this.....progress.  -rf

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/ces/6949335/CES-2010-Ford-unveils-Tweeting-car.html

CES 2010: Ford unveils Tweeting car

   By Rupert Neate, Las Vegas
   Published: 7:00AM GMT 08 Jan 2010

   Alan Mulally, Ford's chief executive, said the company will
   produce a range of vehicles which can read motorist's twitter
   messages to them as they drive down the street.

   Drivers may even be able to Tweet replies as the cars will feature
   voice recognition technology. But composing Tweets will not be
   possible on the first models, due out in the US later this year,
   because of safety fears.

   US Road safety group the AAA warned that the new technology could
   put lives at risk. "The more things that are going on in a
   vehicle, the more things can distract a driver," a spokeswoman
   said. "You only have so much attention to give, and we really
   want everyone to keep their attention on the roadway for safety
   reasons."

   However, Doug VanDagens, Ford's global director of connected
   services, said people currently read Twitter feeds while they
   are driving anyway, and the new system would increase road safety
   by enabling motorists to keep both hands on the wheel.

   "We take what people do - they talk on the phone, they fumble
   with mp3 players, they look at maps. We take these activities
   and make them safer," he said.

   The tweeter function is part of Ford's plan to connect cars to
   the internet. Ford said drivers will also be able to stream music
   live from Panadora, a website similar to Last.fm.

   The technology, developed in partnership with Microsoft, works
   by connecting an on-board computer to a mobile phone with 3G
   internet browsing capabilities.

   In a speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas said
   the technology, called Sync, is designed to allow drivers to
   attend to their social lives, "all while keeping their eyes on
   the road and their hands on the wheel."