Ford has shipped the millionth car with the Ford-Microsoft Sync adapter. The specific car, a Ford Fusion hybrid, went to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. It's only fitting as a thank-you gift. Sync didn't by itself save Ford from falling into a Chrysler- or GM-style black hole, but it shows Ford still has a few good ideas. Coming free (or $395 on entry models), it helped Ford sell so-so cars (hello, Ford Focus) that might have languished otherwise, and made its good cars (Edge, Fusion, and the Mercury MKS, MKZ) move quicker.

Sync is an in-dash module that provides Bluetooth hands-free callling, a USB jack for iPods and other music players or music keys, and voice recognition software. Ford was the first U.S. automaker to adopt Sync; incredibly, no one else has, yet. A similar version is used by Fiat, called Blue 'n' Me, and it was out a year before Sync and also offers rudimentary navigation. Ford has been upgrading Sync over its three years of life with goodies such as 911 Assist, which calls for help in a crash so long as your phone is connected. (No monthly charges.) Sync is also due to get an upgrade to the voice recognition module, which has grown a bit cumbersome.