When someone buys a new car, there are a lot of things they expect to get with that purchase, but one of the most underrated is radio. Of course, radio today is very different than radio ten years ago, but thanks to services like Pandora and Slacker Radio, listeners can get exactly what they want out of music exactly when they want it. Without commercials. Yeah, we’ve come a long way along those lines, and our vehicles are pushing the envelope even harder with SYNC AppLink.
Anybody with a smartphone can simply hook that sucker up to the vehicle via Bluetooth and get access to all sorts of Ford-accessible applications just by using SYNC. Thus far, Pandora—the juggernaut in this new internet radio business—has been the only major music service available with AppLink, but Slacker Radio is our most recent addition. Both have their pros and cons, but Slacker is a particularly interesting service that we think our customers are going to love.
Like Pandora, Slacker can use artists to put together mixes and playlists of similar stuff, but unlike Pandora, Slacker can also put together playlists of only the desired artist, not just sound-alikes. With Slacker, users can also “ban” certain artists, and even opt for talk radio stations. As a music experience, it’s a little more well-rounded, but it’s not like SYNC AppLink users have to choose one or the other; with both apps, you can go back and forth. The point is that Ford drivers have as many options as possible, and the addition of Slacker Radio to the stable brings that dream closer to fruition, with more surely on the way.