Microsoft, together with West Coast Customs, have put together an unusual creation: A 2012 Ford Mustang, albeit with a 1967 replica body in a matte black finish, and as much Microsoft-powered tech as possible.
"Project Detroit," as it's called, will be formally unveiled on Discovery's Velocity Network this Sunday, March 25 at 9pm PT/ET. But Jeff Sanquist and Tim O'Brien of Microsoft's Channel 9 have already posted many of the details.
Let's start with when you first approach the car, where Windows Phone integration lets you find, unlock, and start the car via a Viper-developed Smart Start app. The car comes with 4G and a hotspot mode (no carrier listed yet) that gives multiple devices Wi-Fi access on the go. The 4G network connects to Bing Maps, Viper's Smart Start system, and a cloud-based data store in Windows Azure for tracking telemetry like GPS location, speed, engine RPMs, and fuel level.
Inside, the dashboard instrument cluster is actually a touch screen; you can select different dashboard skins, including one for a 2012 Mustang, a 1967 Mustang, or a Windows 8 Metro-inspired version. There are separate driver and passenger-side heads-up displays (HUD) with augmented reality that project current telemetry and Bing Map data on the windshield. You can use Bing Maps to find nearby restaurants, shopping centers, and gas stations, among other things.
Ford Sync is along for the ride, of course, as it's a Microsoft-powered system to begin with; it delivers the usual real-time traffic, hands-free Bluetooth, and voice activated commands. In addition to the usual music playback and navigation, the system comes with a built-in Xbox 360 and a Kinect, and you can set it to project movies or games onto the rear windshield. A passenger can also play Xbox games on his or her side of the windshield.
Meanwhile, forget just a regular stereo; this car also comes with external audio, as in a public address system that delivers anything you say into the Windows Phone outside to everyone as you drive by. I'm sure that sort of thing would please everyone here in New York. You can change up the horn sound to play "ringtones" (horntones?) instead of the usual beep. That rear window can also display custom messages outside, like "nice hat," or "stop tailgating me," or perhaps something much more suited to what a New Yorker would say to other drivers.
On the front and back of the car, separate Kinect cameras deliver skeletal tracking and live video feeds of surrounding areas and objects, and a Windows Phone can view those camera feeds remotely. You can even send messages to the audio system from afar. So if you see someone sitting on the car via the live video feed, you can say "Get off my car" into the phone, and it will play that through the public address system. Oh, the mind races with possibilities.
Microsoft said it will make source code available on CodePlex for the major components of the project in the coming weeks.
