Ford extends AppLink services to iPhone users

Ford Motor Company added support for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone to its AppLink software platform, which enables drivers to access smartphone applications via voice commands and vehicle controls. Ford launched AppLink in April 2010 with support for Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Research In Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry--debuting in association with the 2011 Ford Fiesta, Sync AppLink promises to seamlessly integrate apps with the driver experience, improving eyes-on-the-road and hands-on-the-wheel time. Sync-enabled mobile applications include Pandora web radio, Stitcher news radio and Twitter client OpenBeak.

Ford notes that 36 percent of adult smartphone users who've download mobile applications to their device admit to using those apps while commuting. In addition, a study commissioned by the Consumer Electronics Association indicates that 55 percent of smartphone owners prefer voice commands as their user interface for in-car smartphone integration.

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