Ford adds iTunes tagging option to some models

DETROIT — Starting next year, drivers of some new Ford models who hear a song they like on their high definition radio receiver will be able to tag it by pressing a button and download it later onto their iPhone or iPod.
While the iTunes tagging technology is available on some aftermarket HD Radio receivers, Ford will become the first automaker to offer it as a factory-installed option, said Jeff Jury, chief operating officer for Columbia, Md.-based iBiquity Digital Corp., which is the developer and licenser of HD Radio technology

"It is a great complement to the broader application of Sync," said Jury, whose company also develops the tagging technology.

For Ford, the announcement is the latest in a string of recent advances related to Sync, the voice-controlled telecommunications and entertainment system Ford launched in 2007.

And last week, Ford said the next generation of Sync will allow anyone who plugs an air card into the Sync USB port to turn the car into a mobile, Wi-Fi hotspot.

Ford said iTunes tagging on its next generation of Sync will be able to hold up to 100 songs.

Then, when an iPod is connected to iTunes, the customer can approve the purchase and download the songs.

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