Ford teams up with Airstream, Microsoft

DETROIT -- It was part Ford crossover sport utility vehicle, part shiny silver Airstream camper, part vision of a space odyssey.

Airstream, based in Jackson Center, teamed up with Ford to have some fun joining the two American icons in a concept vehicle unveiled Sunday on the first day of the North American International Auto Show.

"It celebrates the joy of the great American journey," said J Mays, group vice president and chief creative officer for Ford Motor Co.

As Microsoft revs up the Windows Vista marketing engine, it's touting the economic boon the software is expected to bring to the rest of the technology industry.

Microsoft commissioned an economic-impact study, released Sunday night, that suggests Vista will help generate $70 billion in revenue and 157,000 new information-technology jobs in 2007.

The 14-page study by IDC draws on the research firm's published data and forecasts covering all segments of the IT industry, including hardware producers, third-party software vendors and service providers.

IDC estimated the portion of the industry tied to Windows Vista to determine what amount of incremental growth it might produce.

Microsoft Sync links digital music players and cellular smart phones to the dashboard controls

DETROIT -- It isn't hard to see where automakers are tossing their darts in an effort to pin down customers' future whims.

Several manufacturers unveiled coupe concepts or coupe versions of existing cars at the Detroit auto show, taking the stage from the crossover sport utility vehicle rage of the last two years.