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CSR has announced that its BlueCore4-ROM Bluetooth silicon is featured in Ford’s in-car communications and entertainment system called SYNC. As well as offering hands-free operation of personal media players (PMPs), CSR’s technology allows SYNC users full hands-free operation of Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones to make calls and access music. By the end of 2007, Ford’s SYNC will be in 12 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, including the 2008 Focus, Taurus X and Explorer, and will be standard or optional in nearly every Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle by the end of 2008.

Ford’s SYNC is a fully integrated communications system that can host nearly any PMP, including the Apple iPod, Microsoft Zune, PlaysForSure players and most USB storage devices. The SYNC uses CSR’s technology to act as a hands-free car kit for mobile phone calls; it can automatically access names and numbers on a mobile phone’s SIM-based address book into the vehicle using the Bluetooth protocol stack software in conjunction with the firmware running on BlueCore4 silicon.

"The proportion of cars produced with factory-fitted Bluetooth devices is forecast to more than triple during the next five years," stated Alex Green, research director at IMS Research. She continued, "Including the aftermarket, in excess of 50 million Bluetooth-enabled products are projected to be sold into the automotive sector in 2010. With its BlueCore range and relationships with companies such as Ford, CSR is well placed to take advantage of this rapidly growing market."

CSR’s BlueCore4-ROM is AEC-Q100 qualified and is tested to withstand the harsh conditions of the automotive environment. Ford’s SYNC uses SR’s BlueCore4-ROM Plug-n-Go, a single-chip radio and baseband IC for Bluetooth systems that supports enhanced data rates (EDR) of up to 3 Mbps. With the on-chip CSR Bluetooth firmware, BlueCore4-ROM Plug-n-Go provides a fully compliant Bluetooth system for data and voice communications. The device incorporates auto-calibration and built-in self-test (BIST) routines to simplify development, type approval and production test. All hardware and device firmware is fully compliant with the Bluetooth v2.0 and EDR specification, including eSCO (enhanced SCO*, for retransmission of dropped voice packets).

Rafik Jallad, vice president of the Automotive Business Unit at CSR, commented, “Legislation restricting the hand-held use of mobile phones while driving is becoming increasingly commonplace, and using Bluetooth to enable hands-free mobile phone operation is now well established as an alternative.” Rafik continued, “On top of that, the market for PMPs is growing rapidly, and accessing your PMP music is becoming a must-have feature in car multimedia systems. These two crucial factors are underlying the massive interest we are seeing from forward-thinking car manufacturers like Ford.”