• Ford hosted its first ever SYNC® AppLink™ Developer Challenge in Tel Aviv to challenge and educate developers and entrepreneurs to create new applications and ideas that enhance the in-car user experience
  • Wake Me App, created by a duo of programmers, earned the grand prize out of nearly 50 submissions from both individuals and teams
  • The Wake Me App team leveraged Ford SYNC AppLink application programming interface to create an innovative app that monitors drivers for signs of drowsiness

TEL AVIV, October 12, 2015 - Ford selected 'Wake Me App,' an app that monitors drivers for signs of drowsiness, as the winner of the Ford SYNC® AppLink™ Developer Challenge in Tel Aviv. The 24-hour hackathon, October 11-12, included more than 150 app developers, and was co-sponsored by WeiserMazars LLP. The winning app was chosen by a panel of judges representing Ford's technology development team, venture capital and even auto racing.

'Tel Aviv has an amazing base of tech developers, and the talent and creativity we saw from the participating teams has been remarkable,' said Scott Lyons, business and partner development, Connected Vehicle and Services, Ford of Europe. 'Wake Me App stood out because of its innovative use of the new SYNC AppLink developer tools that leverage vehicle information to create dynamic apps in the car.'

Wake Me App monitors drivers for signs of drowsiness in specific stages, and issues escalating alerts accordingly. Developers Pavel Kaminsky and Shay Mishali leveraged the latest set of AppLink application programming interfaces and the new capabilities of SYNC 3 to create the app.

At signs of driver drowsiness, the App performs an escalating-level of alerts to make the driver aware of his/her condition, including audible chimes, changing the radio volume, and even automated SMS messages and phone calls to the driver's contact list.

Other winning apps included Red Alert (second place), an app which alerts drivers in Israel to a potential national security threat, and Karpoolz (third place), a multi-family carpooling app for parents to manage their kids' afterschool and social activities. One app received an honorable mention, Green Light, which gives a countdown to upcoming traffic signals.

Ford challenged developers to create original apps leveraging the features of all-new AppLink and SYNC 3, including the system's capacitive touch screen, improved voice recognition and image display capabilities to enhance the in-car experience for customers.

As grand prize winner, Kaminski and Mishali received from Ford a brand-new 2016 Ford Fiesta, NIS 75,000, $7,500 USD in services from WeiserMazers LLP, and the winning app may one day be offered to Ford drivers whose vehicles are equipped with SYNC 3.

Second place was awarded NIS 44,000 from Ford and $5,000 USD in services from WeiserMazers LLP. Third place received NIS 22,000 from Ford and $2,500 USD in services from WeiserMazers. Honorable Mention received $3,500 USD in services from WeiserMazers.

Ford will also host its first-ever AppLink Developer Challenge in Europe during Nov. 2-3 in Dublin, Ireland . More information about Ford's developer program is available at developer.ford.com .

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