LarryQW

Correction on the procedure I gave before: I actually say "Audio System", pause for bing, "Satellite Radio". I can then say "Tune SR1" to go to the SR1 band of presets that allows me to "seek" between them using the steering wheel button. I can also combine the last two commands, "Satellite Radio Tune SR1", but it gets confused more often. While within Satellite Radio VR mode (the Satellite mode is showing under the LCD VR icon), I've tried different ways of tuning channels. The "SR1" band request always works easily. The command such as "Tune Channel One Zero Five" also works and it responds "Tuning channel one hundred five". The channel number that doesn't work is "Tune Channel Five". It always wants to go to channel 105 or 25. I even tried "Tune Channel Zero Five" and it's even worse. I never got VR to work with a single digit channel number.

I just had my USB port on my Taurus X fixed by the dealer after going dead. It happened in an odd way. After switching to Satellite Radio on the LCD, when coming back to the USB I saw the song listed and timer going, but no sound coming out from the USB only. All the other media (AM/FM/SR/...) worked just fine with sound coming out. At the same time some FM radio station presets changed, and my overhead garage door opener lost it's programming. I'm suspecting a voltage spike or surge on the power line caused a memory reset around the car. I tried fixing it by powering the car on and off, reloading my flash drive. I even tried resetting and restoring SYNC via it's setup menu. None of them worked. The dealer had to remove a fuse and do some other things to get SYNC to reset properly and restore the USB sound. When the dealer's mechanics called home to papa Ford for a fix, Ford seemed to know all about the issue. Hopefully a permanent fix will come soon. During all this, the USB flash would light up when plugged in, and the indexing would work. Just the sound went out. I don't know if the charging function was affected since I only used a flash drive.

I'm about as native USA as it gets. I was born in Ohio and raised in California. It must not understand my accent??? However, I'm still learning SYNC as SYNC's learning me. The voice recognition is getting better. For instance, I'm learning to wait for one full second after the prompt before starting to speak a command or confirmation, and the recognition is much better. Oddly, I'm finding the voice recognition is worse of all on the main menu, where you'd want it to be the best since you always start there. I can get most of the commands like "Navigation", "User Device", and "Tutorial" to work over 90% of the time without a prompt. But it has a bad problem with "Phone", even though I've tried to say "Phone" in many different ways, such speed, volume, emphasis, slight change in the "o" sound,.... About 65% of the time it will need confirmation, "Did you say Phone?", maybe 3% of the time it won't get anything, and only about 25% of the time will it go directly to phone without a confirmation like I'd want. It causes lots of delay when calling and somewhat annoying. Voice recognition improves greatly within the modes of Phone and User Device (such as USB). But voice recognition in Navigation and Display modes are about as bad as the main menu- not as good as desired. (Maybe these three modes use Ford software instead of MS?) In Phone and User Device, SYNC understands the right response without confirmation over 90% of the time. I'm very impressed SYNC can almost always pick out a correct song (or "track") or artist out of a thousand songs I have on my 4GB USB stick. You'd think that would be much harder to pick one of a thousand newly indexed names, rather than the main menu when it only has to pick one of five very different predetermined commands? :rolleyes:

I already do that all the time. I believe I say "Media", pause for prompt, "Satellite Radio". Tuning verbally to a SR channel is more challenging. I say Channel 105, for instance, and it goes to something completely different like channel 25. It could be I'm saying "one hundred five". Maybe I need to say "one oh five"?

No, as I said before, the four right steering wheel buttons I have are: Volume; Seek; Media; Voice. And I indeed like these buttons for general control. To activate the phone, I hit Voice and say "Phone" - often repeating myself a few times before SYNC finally understands "Phone". But once in the Phone menu, the voice recognition improves dramatically. But there's no "Phone" button to hit to hang up. So why can't I just hold down the Voice button to end? I've tried that and it doesn't work - actually doesn't do anything while I'm on a call. I've also tried holding down the Phone button next to the navigation screen. That doesn't work either. The only thing that works is to hit the Phone selection button on the side of the Navigation screen, then hit the "End" soft button on that Phone screen. It's time consuming and a bit of distraction while driving.

I keep waiting for Microsoft/Ford's Owner to Owner forum to open. It's been maybe 8 months now. Nobody at Microsoft knows how to make a forum? I'm very annoyed they haven't opened the forum, and suspicious that they don't want flaws to be known, especially in the very poor voice recognition I've encountered. So I'm very glad to see this forum start up. On my new Taurus X, I find the rest of SYNC besides voice recognition works very well. But some of the manuals are wrong and incomplete. For example the steering wheel buttons are not as described. Instead they're (from top) Volume, Seek, Media, and Voice. It turns out I like having these different buttons, but need to figure out things for myself. Similarly, the menu system is not exactly what's described, and I need to figure a lot of it by trial and error. A forum (and updated manual) would be very helpful. For example, I can't figure out an easy way to hang up from a phone call. I have to navigate to the phone menu and hit end on the LCD screen. I can't find a voice or other simple command to hang up!

I've been playing with on my Taurus X for a couple weeks now. It's indeed fabulous the way it controls and integrates everything so nicely. My only issue is the voice recognition is not very good. It was only getting 1 in 4 trys. After training it to my voice, it gets maybe 1 in 2. I'm now trying to say things the way that helps it understand, and I am finally getting over 50% success. But I'd really like it to be 90% right off, like many computer and telephone systems. Nevertheless, SYNC is way more than just voice recognition, and all the things it does is superb.

My only real gripe is that the voice recognition needs to be greatly improved for comprehension and accuracy. This might even require a better microphone with better noise and echo removal, which people say they hear on my cell phone conversations. And yes, I'd also like to be able to concatanate commands like "Phone Call Home" or "Navigation Go Home" without all the major pauses.

SYNC cannot even be installed even on existing models that were ordered with out it, such as the first few months of Taurus X that came without it. It's just too hard with all the interfaces, microphones, and wiring needed. So sorry, IMO it's doubtful you'll see a retrofit kit any time soon, and certainly not for a price you'll like.