Ford is crazy for connectivity and longs for the day when smartphones are fully integrated into automobiles. It moved closer to that goal today with the introduction of a free app that gives Ford Fiesta drivers voice control of Pandora, Stitcher and OpenBeak on their phones.

The introduction of AppLink means no more fumbling with your phone to launch the three apps. This might sound superfluous, but Ford says 46 percent of us have apps on our smartphones and 36 percent of us admit using them while driving. As smartphones become ubiquitous, so too will the number of people using apps, even if they're barreling down the highway at 75 mph.

"More and more drivers are using their devices and their apps while in the car," Doug VanDagens, director of connected services, said in a statement. "SYNC and AppLink work hand-in-hand to answer consumer demand for safer, smarter control of smartphones while in the car."

Ford cites a study by the Consumer Electronics Association that found 55 percent of smartphone owners prefer voice commands for in-car smartphone integration and says that makes the business case for SYNC and AppLink even more compelling.

The announcement comes as the Apple iPhone joins Android and Blackberry devices in playing nicely with Sync; all three devices can use AppLink to provide voice control of three popular applications: Pandora internet radio, Stitcher news radio and OpenBeak for listening to Twitter posts. Why anyone would want to listen to Twitter is beyond us, but there you have it.

To access the app once you've installed AppLink, just push the "voice" button on the steering wheel, say "mobile applications" and cite the app you want to launch. Simple.

Launch Pandora and you can access all your favorite features. Ditto for Stitcher and OpenBeak. Ford says more Sync-enabled apps and integrations are coming soon.

AppLink is available only on the 2011 Ford Fiesta but will be offered in more models soon.

Photo: Ford