Ford First with Kaliki App In-Car Integration for Audio Playback of Major Newspapers and Magazines

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• Kaliki provides radio talent-read audio versions of news and articles from top newspaper and magazine publications

• Using Ford SYNC^® AppLink^™, drivers can now voice-command and control the Kaliki smartphone app to listen to their favorite news content while driving

Thanks to Kaliki Audio Newsstand and Ford SYNC^® AppLink^™, commuting time can now be put to better use by consuming some of the compelling newspaper and magazine content that we want to get to, but just never seem to find the time to read.  

In 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated 140 million Americans spent more than two hours per day in their vehicles, with 50 minutes spent on commute time alone. With Kaliki Audio Newsstand, Ford drivers can stay on top of their favorite news and magazine stories without taking their eyes off the road. Kaliki is a new smartphone app for Android devices that curates the top news stories from major newspapers and magazines and provides an audio version for on-demand playback in the vehicle.

"With people's lives getting busier and busier, there is unfortunately less time to sit down with your favorite newspaper or magazine and read, so Kaliki reads it to you," says Bruce Hopkins, vice president of Sales and Business Development for BT Software-Kaliki Audio Newsstand. "What makes Kaliki unique is the fact we have professional voices that read every story, making the content pleasing to the ear, just like listening to your favorite news radio station or podcast."

Kaliki partners with top publishers in a wide variety of media genres such as Shape Magazine, TV Guide, Men's Fitness, OK! and Agence France-Presse. Today at CES, BT Software also announces the rollout of local newspapers in Kaliki, starting with the Los Angeles and Detroit markets.

"Kaliki demonstrates how we can quickly work with new apps that are adding convenience to the lives of our customers and integrate them into the car through SYNC AppLink," said Doug VanDagens, global director of Ford Connected Services. "Ford's goal is to continuously add value to the vehicle through the addition of relevant content and services, such as the great media partners Kaliki brings, and to deliver an exceptional ownership experience."

All of this is available to Ford vehicles equipped with SYNC AppLink, the industry-leading in-car connectivity system and smartphone interface. When a smartphone is Bluetooth^®-paired with SYNC, the driver just needs to press the voice button on the steering wheel to voice-request Kaliki without ever touching the phone. As soon as the app launches, the driver is prompted to select a publication by speaking the name of the newspaper or magazine. The app will automatically start playing the list of available stories from that source.

If the driver wants to listen to another program, it is just a button press away with the voice command "Programs – [name of program]." The driver can pause the playback or skip to the next or previous story at any time by tapping the play/pause or track buttons on the steering wheel or radio. All content is fed to the driver's ears while hands stay on the steering wheel and eyes stay on the road.

Kaliki Audio Newsstand is free of charge to SYNC users. The SYNC AppLink-enabled Android app is available now in the Google Play Store and a version for iPhone will be available in the Apple App Store later this month.

SYNC AppLink is available on more than 1 million vehicles; it is available on 2013 Fiesta, Mustang, Expedition, Fusion, F-150, Super Duty^®, Focus, E-Series and C-MAX.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:  F), a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 172,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

About BT Software
BT Software is a technology company and is the creator of the Kaliki Audio Newsstand. Kaliki partners with media publishers to convert their print and digital media into streaming audio for use on mobile phones and connected vehicles. Kaliki also partners with broadcasters to enable their content to be available on-demand in the vehicle. For more information, please visit http://www.kaliki.com, or follow us on Twitter @kaliki_audio.

SOURCE Ford Motor Company