Every time you start the Taurus X, Sync confirms any Bluetooth connectivity with a paired phone by flashing "Device [name] Connected" on the source unit. Once initiated, user can start using Sync's "hands-free" calling. Simply press the "Voice" button, say "Phone" and the system will say, "Phone-Please say a command." Follow this by saying "Call" for entries in your contact list, or "Dial" and the number you want to call. The system will then repeat the name or number (as well as place it on the vehicle's display). Confirm with a "yes" or "no" and the system will react accordingly. To disconnect the call you simply hold down the "Phone" button for two seconds to end the call. This same button also allows users to answer an incoming call. The system was very easy to use.
One feature I grew particularly fond of is "Staying Connected." In most cars, if you are already on the phone when you enter the vehicle, your call is dropped once the vehicle's electronics try to link to the phone. With Sync, this does not happen. There was only a moment of silence before my conversation was picked up by the vehicle allowing me to put down my phone and drive away.
Neatly hidden within the center console are the USB 2.0 port and 3.5mm audio input. I connected my iPod with the USB cord, hit the Voice tab and commanded "User Device" followed by "USB." From there, the options range from selecting a genre, artist, album, track or playlist. If you are listening to a song and wish to hear music like it, you can command "Similar Music" and it will play tracks that fit that genre. Well, it didn't always pick songs I would consider similar, but that is largely due to the genre that is provided to an album and not a specific song.
I then tried a flash drive I had loaded with music. It worked very similar to the iPod and was even able to access individual folders. While playing with it, I input "Play artist Norah Jones." This time the voice recognition system didn't understand my request, so Sync brought up artists that sounded close and asked me to repeat "number 1 for Def Tones, number 2 for Norah Jones, or number 3 for Lionel Jones." Once I picked, the system started while displaying both the artist name and track title.
The Sync system is fairly easy to use overall. Most commands are simple to remember and if you need help, there is a tutorial built into the head unit. It's definitely convenient, but a shame it's not a standalone unit. Read on...