I always like to see technology getting incorporated into everyday items. It's nice when you can find a use for the technology in something other than a desktop PC. The car manufacturer Ford is now going to incorporate Bluetooth technology into its vehicles - something that other higher-end car manufacturers have been doing so for years. Partnering with Microsoft, they're hoping to make Bluetooth something that's more popular than just higher-end cars.

Bluetooth in automobiles is generally aimed at wealthy people who can afford wireless headsets, allowing them to talk on their cell phones hands-free. However, with Microsoft's Sync program, which is what Ford is partnering with them to do, it opens up a lot more - emailing, music downloads - you can probably bet that iPod and Palm syncing is not far away.

Another great thing about Bluetooth in vehicles is that it opens up other possibilities - some that may not be thought of until much later. A Bluetooth-enabled vehicle is future-proofed. Hmm, perhaps you'll be able to view the car's diagnostics? Normally a mechanic needs a special program to retrieve the data from the car's internal computer. Bluetooth might be able to change that.

Ford is wise to partner with Microsoft; it takes the development stress off Ford, and whenever there's a new feature that they might want, they can request it from Microsoft.

Flat panel monitors embedded on the dash and other such features are in the not-too-distant future. <wild useless thought>If Bluetooth can eliminate the clutter of wires for a computer, why can't it do the same for the car? :p</wild useless thought> Of course, you may not want an operating system operating your car just yet - crashes would be inevitable, no matter which OS you chose.