As a long time early riser, I am typically up and reading the news before the sun ever begins to peek over the Atlanta skyline. There's the typical hubbub - Congress is lazy, politicians trading their usual election year barbs, tips on how to lose weight faster, etc. I caught an article about gearing up for fall allergies, and while fall is about a month away, 115 degree temps in OK possibly melting streetlights, a severe drought and warmer than average temperatures across the country tell me it's still a bit premature to start talking about fall allergy season. One story did catch my eye, and it came courtesy of the folks over at Ford.

Allergy and asthma sufferers will often check the air quality and pollen levels for the day, as these two things can significantly impact their health on any given day. Ford is taking this a step further and integrating current allergen data into their SYNC Voice Control feature via their Allergy Alert app. This means that while sitting in morning traffic or on vacation in a new locale, you can get a quick rundown of pollen levels and types (extra tissues anyone?), UV index (make sure you pick up some sunscreen), and other information that can be helpful for allergy and asthma sufferers.

This is likely just a first step in integrating health and wellness data and applications into vehicles. Ford has made no secret about creating "a car that cares." Currently, the SYNC AppLink is available in almost a dozen of the new Ford models. As another positive, because the app is integrated into the Synce Voice Control, it's hands-free and allows you to simply ask your car for the information you want. Wasn't there a show like this once? Ok, so the SYNC Voice Control isn't quite like Kit from Knight Rider. It's not as if your car can drive itself.... yet.

Author: Kevin Gilmore