Today we are proud to be launching our service with Ford Motor Company which will allow MapQuest users to search for destinations on MapQuest.com and be able to “beam” (excuse the Star Trek analogy) them directly to your Ford, Lincoln or Mercury car equipped with the SYNC® Traffic, Directions and Information service.

Imagine I’m planning a trip to New York City and want to visit the Empire State Building. Instead of printing the directions, I just click “Send to SYNC®” to have the information sent to my SYNC® system. Once in my vehicle, I just press the voice button, say “Services”, and the vehicle navigation system will calculate a route and then begin guidance to the MapQuest point of interest.

Now you can plan and research where you want to go online and send it directly to your car. Think of how many drivers will navigate with their eyes on the road, instead of looking down at a printed map.

Check us out on your new Ford Vehicle!

Yesterday HP announced a major new initiative and a slew of new devices that enable users to utilize MapQuest and other helpful tools directly from the new HP web-enabled printers. These new printers access the Internet and allow you to quickly and simply get a map or directions or search for things like restaurants, gas stations and other business using the HP printer’s TouchSmart screen.

Here’s a quick preview of what the MapQuest app looks like on the HP web-enabled printer screen:

Check it out and let us know if you have any questions or suggestions!

We have been hard at work developing new relationships with automotive and other connected navigation system manufacturers and had big news last week!

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), we announced a partnership with Ford Motor Company which will allow MapQuest users to search for destinations on MapQuest.com and be able to “beam” (excuse the Star Trek analogy) them directly to your Ford, Lincoln or Mercury car equipped with the SYNC® Traffic, Directions and Information service.

Imagine I’m planning a trip to do some gambling and found the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas using MapQuest.com. Instead of printing the directions, I just click “Send to SYNC®” to have the information sent to my SYNC® system. Once in my vehicle, I just press the voice button, say “Services”, and the vehicle navigation system will then begin route guidance to the MapQuest point of interest.

Now you can plan and research where you want to go online and send it directly to your car. Think of how many drivers will navigate with their eyes on the road, instead of looking down at a printed map.

The service was demonstrated at Ford’s keynote address at CES on January 7^th. More information can be found at http://blog.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=31710. Look for the service to be launched later this year!

We’ve had great feedback on our navigation service and people enjoy the convenience of not having to buy another device when their GPS-enabled mobile phone can get them where they need to go. With MapQuest Navigator on your phone, your maps and directions data is always current – you don’t have to worry about updating the data on your PND or in-car navigation system. What’s even better is it doesn’t just provide turn-by-turn voice-guided directions, you can also see where you’re going with 3D moving maps. And, there’s live traffic, walking directions, gas prices, AOL City’s Best restaurants/nightlight ratings, and more.

Initially, we’re launching with the following phones including: BlackBerry Curve 8210, BlackBerry Pearl 8110, BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry 8800, MOTO Z9, MOTO Q Global, AT&T Tilt, and Blackjack II – but look for many new devices by the end of the year.

See more information and sign up for the free trial at our MapQuest Navigator AT&T page.