We’ll admit that when iTunes, Word or any of our computer software alerts us to an update, we tend to hit “agree” to said update and not always read what it’s about. For all we know, we might have agreed to wear hot pants and a monocle to the office. So, we know that some of you might also be tempted to go on autopilot when you hear the Ford SYNC® system has a free update and either not pay attention to the details or simply ignore it. But here’s why you shouldn’t.

The update – known by the frills-free name G1 V3.2.2 and tailored for owners of select SYNC-equipped 2011 and early-release 2012 vehicles – will allow more SYNC users to have text messages read aloud while driving. The big kahuna here is the Message Access Profile Bluetooth standard, which you might recognize by its more common term, MAP, which is custom made for the auto hands-free environment. It outlines a set of features and procedures used to exchange email, SMS and MMS between devices. Here, we mean SYNC and the smartphone.

Last year, Ford announced it was voluntarily integrating MAP into SYNC for all 2011 MyFord Touch®-equipped vehicles and is now extending the capability to the broader SYNC user community – with thousands of 2011 and 2012 vehicles equipped with the first generation SYNC system. According to Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), MAP adoption by mobile device manufacturers is still in its infancy, but it’s growing.

Here is a list of a few of the newer phones on the market that feature MAP:

– Blackberry Style (9670)
– Blackberry Curve (9300)
– Motorola Atrix
– Motorola Droid Bionic
– Motorola Photon

Since SYNC launched in 2007, Ford has offered several significant and simple software-based updates. If you want to find out whether your SYNC-equipped Ford is eligible for this or any of the available SYNC updates, visit www.syncmyride.com and enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). If eligible, simply download the update to a USB memory stick and install it in your vehicle through the SYNC USB port.

Ford is working on extending MAP to even more SYNC customers, with the update for 2010 model year SYNC owners in development.