LAS VEGAS — It seems like there are a lot of ecosystems in mobile, and the latest one could be a game-changer in mobile marketing. 

Ford unveiled its new MyFord Touch system, based on the company’s SYNC technology. The in-car communications and entertainment system combines top-of-the-line voice recognition from Nuance Communications with touch-screen controls on the steering wheel to give drivers easy control over digital media and mobile phones.

Here’s the cool part: Ford wants to create what it calls a SYNC App Ecosystem and is offering a SYNC SDK (software developers kit) to encourage developers to create applications that will interface with iPhone, Droid, BlackBerry, WinMo, Palm and any other mobile device via a standard Bluetooth connection.

Internet music service Pandora.com is already onboard. Using SYNC’s voice-recognition system with a Pandora app running on a phone, drivers can flip through radio pre-set buttons that correspond to Pandora’s music feeds. Smart radio provider Stitcher.com and Twitter client OpenBeak are also live.

Now, think about how many hours people spend in their cars – a captive audience.  You could deliver location-based services, mobile surveying and market research, mobile learning, targeted advertising, social media, digital media – all enabled through voice recognition to prevent the “distracted driver” syndrome.

App developers and mobile marketers should be falling over themselves trying to figure out how to extend brand building into the type of in-car experience that Ford’s SYNC offers.

******
Google all the way

Hmmm, let’s review the last 24 hours …

Motorola announces its cool, new Backflip Android phone, which is getting rave reviews.

At its annual developers conference yesterday, AT&T Mobility was all over Android, announcing devices from the aforementioned Motorola, HTC Corp., computer maker Dell and two new devices from Palm.

T-Mobile announced a $180 pricing package for new subscribers on the Nexus One.

We’re no shill for Google, but they own the wireless side of CES this year. Guess this means that all those iPhone app developers better bone up on their Droid coding.

 Val Christopherson is managing director of Global Results Communications, Irvine, CA. Reach her at valeriec@globalresultspr.com.

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