Evernote is a notemaking tool I use on my iPhone and iMac desktop. It synchronises in seconds and is great for making text notes or photo reminders on the move.

The Ford C-Max (there is a link, trust me…) is a more mature, more well-rounded version of the original Ford compact MPV, that is now less awkward thanks to the presence of the Grand C-Max 7-seater. It doesn’t have to pretend to be a Vauxhall Zafira wannabe, and can instead be the practical-sporting family holdall the original always should have been.

Boy, there’s some VW-like detailing at work there, though. If Ford’s aspiring to take on the Golf Plus with this, it’s going about things the right way. VW buyers buy VW after VW because of the firm’s attention to detail. Ford’s clearly been made aware of this, and is having a go itself.

In what way? Look to the trip computer for evidence. Set between the dials within its own colour hi-res VDU, this has graphical treats aplenty. One comes with the trip computer: scroll through the menus, and you get an option for multi-display.

This shows 4 different parameters in one screen – it’s so useful, I’m amazed nobody’s done it like this before (or have they..?). I scratched my head for a few days too, trying to remember what it reminded me of.

Then it came to me.

Evernote users will have discovered that if they turn their iPhone through 90 degrees, the screen changes.Instead of displaying a vertical list, it shows the four Evernote options in grid format. Remind you of anything? Yup…

Ford’s trying to tech itself up, and become known not only as a maker of brilliant driving machines, but also of technologically advanced cars employing must-have new features.

Details such as this will really help it there. Tech geeks will get it; they’ll know that the people who developed it are clearly tech geeks themselves, who probably made notes on devising such a feature on their own Evernote App one weekend during the C-Max’s development.

I for one reckon the similarity is intentional – and thus feel that bit more confident in Ford’s technology claims. After all, if the guys engineering the car are using the same geeky gadgets as me, who am I to (ahem) doubt ‘em..?

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