Ford announces infotainment screens to show ads from local billboards

[GordoJay]

Really? There had better be an opt-out short of unplugging the GPS module or Ford is shooting itself in the foot. I can't imagine many things that would make me hate my car more than this.

Ford announces infotainment screens to show ads from local billboards

The Ford Motor Company has announced the passing of a patent for a new program that will draw information from the billboard ads surrounding the area where a Ford-manufactured car is driving and display segments of that data on the vehicle's infotainment display for the driver's viewing.

techxplore.com

 

[smurfslayer]

Here’s the thing about the infotainment screen:

You don’t have to look.

Keep your eyes on the road or jeep trail you’re abusing and you won’t even care.

 

[GordoJay]

You don’t have to look.

It will probably be flashing like those annoying online ads. I'd expect sound effects to draw your attention, too. I'd seriously consider taping a piece of cardboard over it ...

 

[smurfslayer]

You have the option to turn that screen dark. Plus we have forscan. No way they’re going to superimpose ads over a navigation screen.

 

[Braaaaptor]

As if we needed more distractions while driving

I'm sure this will get enough pushback to get squashed at the 'good idea fairy' level.

 

[GordoJay]

You have the option to turn that screen dark. Plus we have forscan. No way they’re going to superimpose ads over a navigation screen.

I haven't messed with that. I use the screen to control podcasts and music on my phone and to make phone calls. I don't really want to shut it off completely. And if it isn't completely off, wouldn't the ads pop up? I'm sure with all the F-150s on the road someone will come up with a reasonably clean way to disable it. I can live without a GPS or a modem in my truck ...

 

[GordoJay]

And before anyone gets their knickers in a knot, it's just a patent. Big companies patent things for reasons not related to actually using the tech. One is for trading material. If another company sues them for infringement, they go looking through the library for a patent that the other company is infringing and then they settle. It's also a way to move money around. They can assign ownership of a bunch of worthless patents to a subsidiary in another country and that subsidiary "pays" for the portfolio. Boom, money just got transferred onshore without having a big double taxation event occur. I've gotten a dozen or so patents myself, most of them worthless.

 

[JohnyPython]

I wonder what kind of ads would pop up passing a strip club or massage parlour.

 

[melvimbe]

Waze has a version of this already. With the navigation app open, Waze will show an ad at the top of the screen, when the vehicle is not in motion. I don't like it, but not as annoying as you might imagine.

I can see this being useful if you're traveling in an area you aren't familiar with, and have the option of filtering content to specific areas...like restaurants, home improvement, etc. I don't want random ads.

There are two other aspects to this though. One is that Ford may discount vehicles if they are bought with this ad option turned on. Amazon has done this with their tablets. The other is that a decade from now, if infotainment ads become common, it could mean the end of billboard ads. So maybe there is a positive trade off here.

 

[GordoJay]

There are two other aspects to this though. One is that Ford may discount vehicles if they are bought with this ad option turned on. Amazon has done this with their tablets. The other is that a decade from now, if infotainment ads become common, it could mean the end of billboard ads. So maybe there is a positive trade off here.

They're in bed with google, so they'll have your entire search history, website visitation, your emails, your shopping habits, your history of GPS phone locations, truck locations, everything. I shudder to think about what's going to pop up on @Oldfart's screen.