The U.S. car maker Ford has released a new software called SYNC AppLink, which will make possible hands-free control of certain technologies via Android and Blackberry smart phone applications.

While the software will launch on the 2011 USA Fiesta, Ford said that the software will be made available to older Ford models that run its in-car connectivity system called SYNC. Ford also plans to create a developer community to encourage the development of apps for Ford cars.

Ford said the AppLink will allow drivers and passengers to control some of the most popular apps through SYNC’s voice commands and steering wheel buttons while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. Some of the apps that motorists will be able to control include the online radio provider Pandora and the micro-blogging site Twitter.

“The growth in smart phone mobile apps has been explosive, and Ford has worked hard to respond at the speed of the consumer electronics market,” Doug VanDagens, director of Ford’s Connected Services Organization, said in a news release.

Studies have shown that the mobile app development, which was a niche market just three years ago, will grow into a $4 billion industry by 2012. Mobile devices will become the No. 1 source for Internet access by 2015, surpassing the home computer.