MOG and Ford Join Forces for In-Car Streaming
Automobiles and music have been long intertwined in American culture, and now Ford’s vehicles are getting a high-tech upgrade from the streaming music service MOG. As one of the first manufacturers to embrace digital jukebox technology, the Ford Sync entertainment system is now compatible with the MOG iPhone app.
Indicative of music’s increasingly mobile and digital future, this partnership represents the first time that MOG’s unlimited music offerings can be enjoyed hands-free in a vehicle via spoken instructions. (The sevice is controllable through in-dash prompts and voice commands.) Accessible in several 2012 models – including the Ford Fiesta, Mustang, Fusion and Expedition – MOG’s system should make it safer to queue up songs while driving. However, to employ Sync voice commands – which allow drivers to access streaming tracks, choose online radio stations, and play cached downloads – an iPhone must be plugged into the auto’s USB port.
Upsides to the Ford/MOG technology include the ability to randomly shuffle or add songs to one’s favorites list by barking out commands, plus assign personalized stations to radio presets. However, to utilize these features, a $9.99 monthly subscription and access to Apple’s mobile handset are required. As it is, Ford drivers currently have no shortage of musical selections, with rivals iHeartRadio, Pandora and Slacker already available though the service. Still, MOG’s 15 million-song catalogue should provide a nice complement by offering all-you-can-stream access in a more user-friendly fashion.
A longtime supporter of streaming in-car technology, MOG is no stranger to in-dash integration; this effort follows on the heels of high-profile partnerships with BMW, MINI Cooper and others. Still, by pairing with Ford to show how readily its technology integrates behind the wheel, the company is offering drivers yet another incentive to toss aside that ratty old CD player for good.