Ford announced the next generation of its Sync system will enable owners to plug in a USB modem into the automobile's built-in Wi-Fi, enabling broadband access for all passengers of the vehicle.

Ford is making this factory-installed capability available next year for select Sync cars. The car maker said no additional hardware or subscriptions will be required outside of the existing broadband modem, which will be supplied by the customer. Ford's Sync, which is designed by Microsoft, enables drivers to place calls, play music and obtain a host of information using voice and text-to-speech technology.

"The speeds with which technology is evolving, particularly on the wireless front, makes obsolescence a real problem," Doug VanDagens, director of Ford's Connected Services Solutions Organization, said in a statement. "We've solved that problem by making Sync work with just about any technology you plug into it. By leveraging a user's existing hardware, which can be upgraded independent of Sync, we've helped ensure 'forward compatibility' with whatever connectivity technology comes next."

For more:
- see this Cnet article

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