You also have to remember when SYNC was in the planning stages long before the public knew about it. I was part of the original team responsible for taking the whole concept to reality.
To download software, select the appropriate diagnostic tool on the left. © Copyright 2013 Ford Motor Company. All rights reserved. SmartDeviceLink (SDL) is an open-source POSIX-compliant technology platform on which the Ford AppLink product is built and allows it to communicate between applications running on a mobile device and our SYNC in-vehicle software.
I can tell you that internally, it was one of the most well run software architecture teams I was ever apart of. /google-sketchup-viewer-for-android-free-download.html. The middle level managers really know how to run software teams which is not something you might expect from a big old automotive company.
But in many ways, our hands were tied. Recall about the time Bill Gates and Bill Ford riding around in a model-T. A lot of us didn't want Windows for automotive and were trying to champion Linux. Also, the iMX3 which was in the first generation SYNC modules was at the time a slow processor.
Trucode
And to top things off, a fair bit of the software running on the SYNC module is not written by Ford. Ford partnered up with a crappy company called B-Squared.
See all Renault True Code is a key programming and pin code retrieval system. The system connects to the vehicle through the diagnostic connector, and with the PC software supplied shows the true dealer code for the vehicle. The program is intended for Renault based vehicles using HITAG-2 keys/cards with the 12 character pincode. The IDS software license includes time based access to the IDS software, software udpates and calibration files. Ford J2534 Diagnostic Software (FJDS) - The factory Ford Motor Company vehicle diagnostic tool designed for use with J2534 compatible Vehicle Communications Interfaces (VCI). FJDS software provides module reprogramming software (FMP. Ford IDS Software License, Ford VCM 2, and the New Ford VCMM’s can be purchased now. Ford VCM 2 IDS This tool is the best OEM tool in the marketplace today. The FordSys is fast and easy help you determine: Check Engine Light, Clears Codes, Read Trouble Code OEM Enhance module: PCM, ABS, RCM, TCM. ★ OBD2 Adapter/Dongle: WARNING! China clones ELM327 v2.1 is only work with OBD2. If you have this adapter, please don't rate this application! + Tested with OBDLink MX, ELM327 Clone Bluetooth V1.5, Vgate Bluetooth, ELM327 Wifi. + Hardware: OBDLink.
The Maps are not Ford's either. When I was on the team, Ford had partnered with INRIX for Maps, traffic and direction.
SYNC is just not a simple single board computer with some apps running on it. There is an entire eco-system build around the SYNC module because it's connected to the vehicle networks (CAN Bus). Microsoft & Ford being partners (Windows servers in data center), Microsoft wanted to handle some of the software development but when Ford asked Microsoft to sign off on some legal agreement asking MS to take any and all responsibility for things like inadvertently deploying an air bag, they backed off.
Also, Ford SYNC as I said has an eco system of roughly 20-30 backend applications that support it. Some of these have to do with 911 assist and the TREAD act. The TREAD act is the US Federal Government's oversight on safety claims.
Because via SYNC you can report problems and have your vehicle serviced, their is a lot internal logic that keeps track of what is called EOL (End of Line) data about a vehicle which needs to funnel into TREAD act reporting.
Think about the not so long ago Toyota problem where they tried to blame floor mats for gas peddles getting stuck.
EDIT:Also, the GUI is not Microsoft CE native. The WindowsCE is just the OS running on the SYNC module. The GUI was Adobe ActionScript. Trust me, many of us yelled very loud about how stupid an idea this was but because B-Squared own the implementation (not the architecture), they were aloud to chose whatever they wanted to meet Ford specs. The results are a history less: JD Powers gave it SYNC poor ratings and many of us (myself included) got the hell out of dodge.
Ford True Code Software Manager
Middle managers, managing the day to day software architecture and specifications, were caught between a rock and a hard place with senior management (Allan Mullaly, Mark Fields, Bill Ford, Marcy Klevorn) pushing these partnership relationships we were forced to work within.