Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) has announced additional features to the SYNC telematics system. The enhancement allows drivers to listen to text messages while they are driving. The SYNC software upgrade is free and it will broaden the number of devices that are compatible with the hands-free text read-back SYNC feature.

The Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch Reader has been given a better rating than the Amazon.com Kindle by Consumer Reports. While I have not always been on the same page as Consumer Reports, I know how seriously people take their ratings.

Consumer Reports has given the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad 2 some glowing reviews according to a press release. The Apple iPhone 4 for Verizon and AT&T both received high ratings in Consumer Reports also, but the buying guide recommended against buying it due to antenna issues.

Consumer Reports has officially given their recommendation about the Verizon iPhone 4. It is very similar to the time when they wrote about how they would not recommend the AT&T iPhone 4 because of the antenna issues. Consumer Reports said that the Verizon iPhone 4 has a tendency to drop calls and is unable to make calls in weak signal locations. Duh? By now almost everybody that has an iPhone 4 that a case might be needed to prevent your hand from covering the phone when using the device naturally.

Consumer Reports has released a survey about cell phone services. The survey was conducted on how satisfied cell phone users are with their providers. AT&T was ranked at the bottom in 2009 locally and next-to-last nationally. This year AT&T was ranked last nationally and in last place for every city. On the cover of the new Consumer Reports issue it says, “Best & Worst Providers (Sorry, AT&T).” Verizon is in first place in most cities and nationally when compared to the four major providers.

GameSpot posted a review about the Microsoft Kinect and they pulled the race card. “[Our] testing suggests facial recognition features of Microsoft’s motion-sensing camera system might not work properly for some gamers… In testing the Kinect, two dark-skinned GameSpot employees had problems getting the system’s facial recognition features to work.” Consumer Reports did a similar test and debunked the GameSpot hypothesis.

I have to agree with Consumer Reports on this one. A promo video by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) for the Kin mobile device comes off as being creepy. The promo video is about a girl named Rosa meeting her “social network,” including a guy that she never met before named Matty Goldberg. Check it out below:

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has changed an ad that encouraged people to perform in “sexting” using their mobile phones. This ad shows a man put a phone in his shirt, take a picture, and SMS it over to another person at a party. Consumer Reports captured the ad and uploaded it to YouTube with a description that says “Microsoft is promoting its new Kin cell phones, aimed at socially networked young people, with an ad that we think comes uncomfortably close to encouraging sexting–that is, sending nude photos via cell phone.”

“Microsoft takes the issue of sexting very seriously and it was never our intent to promote it in any way,” stated a Microsoft spokesperson. The original video can be seen here: