Make Pandora Sing with Microsoft Sync

Click to EnlargeLate last year I bought a 2009 Ford Focus SES with the super awesome Microsoft Sync system. I have to admit that the Sync system was one of my primary reasons for buying the car because of the integration with my iPhone.

If you have an iPhone then you are probably familiar with application Pandora. If you don't know about Pandora, even if you don't have an iPhone, I encourage you to check out www.pandora.com. Pandora is essentially internet radio with channels that you customize so you can listen to the music that you want to hear.

So a couple days ago, I stumbled upon a little way to get Pandora to work with the Sync system in my car via USB. I should point out that you don't need this hack if you listen to your iPhone via the 3.5mm audio jack. If you are like me however and don't want a convoluted mess of wires strung all over your vehicle, this little hack will come in handy.

To listen to Pandora via USB, simply follow these steps:

1. Plug your iPhone into the Sync system via USB.
2. Turn the vehicle on and navigate to "Sync > USB" with your vehicle controls.
3. Using the Sync system, start playing any song on your iPhone. As soon as you hear the music start, pause it.
4. Now, on your iPhone, open Pandora and select a channel.
5. Done...Pandora is now playing through the Sync system in your Ford without the 3.5mm headphone jack.

A couple of things to note: First, the next version of the iPhone will supposedly have bluetooth A2DP enabled, which means we won't need either the USB cable or the 3.5mm cable. Second, Pandora works really good over 3G and WiFi, but can be a little slow on edge. I found that on the edge network, it takes a minute or two to get started, but once it's going, it's pretty solid.

And, of course, you can't navigate through music or rate songs on Pandora with the steering column controls, so please, keep your eyes on the road...