Here’s something all iPad-owning, BMW-driving folks out there will come to enjoy.
BMW has finally given you tech-savvy fellas another reason to buy a BMW with a retooled ConnectedDrive system. The new technology is going to be introduced at the Paris Motor Show.
The new ConnectedDrive system comes with a basketful of new features including enhanced Bluetooth capabilities that will not only work for Blackberry smart phones, but will now also function with the iPhone 4. In addition to that, BMW is also including a docking system for the iPad in the backseats where users can choose the swiveling holder’s orientation – portrait or landscape – and access the Internet through the car’s in-car wifi ConnectedDrive system.
Last, but not least, there’s also going to be a new trinket that they’re calling the iPod Out. It’s supposed to take full advantage of an Apple music player experience for all BMWs integrated with the new ConnectedDrive system.
As if we haven’t had enough of Top Gear already, it looks like our favorite car show is in the process of invading our iPhones and iPads in the coming future.
While we’re not surprised that this is happening – after all, we’ve seen these guys in t-shirts, mugs, mousepads, and even lunch boxes – we’re a little anxious to know what kind of game it’s going to be or how it’s going to be presented. Is it going to be a full-on racing game? Is it going to be something along the lines of car trivia? Or is it going to have elements of both and a whole lot more? Heck, will the Stig make an appearance on the game and if so, which Stig will it be?
The good news is that we won’t have to wait long – unlike that Sony-produced racing game that had more delays than Jeremy Clarkson has hair strands – as it is expected to be made available sometime in the next few months.
Live up north and want to turn your car on to warm it up before you get in? Live down south and want to get in your car when it has reached a comfortable cooling temperature? Well, OnStar, together with GM, have made this possible by the expansion of their mobile app technology.
Owners of most new 2011 Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC vehicles will have the ability to turn on their car, honk their horns, work their lights, and lock and unlock their doors straight from their smartphone. Gone will be the days when car owners will have to be within a certain distance or even have their keys with them to utilize the capabilities of a traditional vehicle key fob.
These GM brand specific apps will not only provide these vehicle key fob services to you, but they will also provide key diagnostic information right at your fingertips. This information will include fuel tank level and range, remaining oil life, current and recommended tire pressure, and lifetime average miles per gallon. Not satisfied yet? The apps will also be able to provide car owners with current odometer readings, vehicle VINs, and OnStar account numbers right from the phone!
A little scary? Absolutely. Kind of cool? Absolutely. What do you guys think? Leave your comments down below.
Imagine driving around town without the benefits of music playing from your car’s speakers. Can’t do it? Yeah, neither can we, but who wants to listen to the same old radio stations looping the same top ten songs over and over again? Not us.
Essentially one of the most important items of a vehicle is in-car music, which can turn an otherwise boring day behind the wheel of your car into your very own karaoke session. And thanks to the wonder that is technology, listening to your music in your car can now be even more enjoyable courtesy of another new breakthrough in the Pandora and Pioneer alliance.
After giving us the Pandora Internet Radio, iPhone and Pandora users can now enjoy the feature even more with the PandoraLink app from Pioneer. Basically what this app can do is allow the driver or passenger to access their Pandora account right from their car using Pioneer’s new AVIC-Z120BT and AVIC-X920BT in-dash navigation systems. All you need to do is use your pre-existing Pandora account, connect it to your Pioneer in-dash navigation system, select your audio source, and just like that, you’ll gain instant touch screen access to your Pandora account where you can now enjoy all your favorite Internet radio stations.
With a market that’s dominated by the likes of Sirius XM, Pioneer is bent on becoming a major player in the world of Internet radio. Teaming up with Pandora was the first step to that goal and now the partnership is beginning to see the fruits of its labor with the new Pioneer PandoraLink feature that’s sure to become a staple in many vehicles in the near future.
All those high-powered HD cameras that are being used to shoot commercials won’t be looking particularly rosy after this pretty cool short film was shot at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with just an iPhone 4.
Okay, they used more than one iPhone, but honestly, we can’t tell the difference. Using only the iPhone 4’s built-in HD camera, the short film, which has been christened with the title “156 Turns”, takes us on a three-minute documentary on the challenges the Ducati team faced at Pikes Peak, complete with interviews, preparation highlights, and, of course, the race itself. It’s as good as any three-minute short film we’ve seen in a while and the fact that it was shot using an iPhone 4 is beyond remarkable to us.
Heck, if you can use something as little as an iPhone 4 and rely simply on post-production wizardry to create a commercial, then what’s the purpose of buying a hi-tech video camera that probably costs ten times as much as Apple’s new technological marvel?
So what if it’s only three minutes? The final product certainly speaks for itself.
iPhone users beware! Apparently, Apple did not fix all of the bugs in the iOS4 update before releasing the jacked up modification to iPhone users. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the iOS4 is causing users to lose their iPhone-To-Car stereo connection causing one user to listen to "only 3 songs all day because they keep starting over when i (sic) get calls!!!!"
Complaints are simply flooding Apple support forums with iPhone users pleading and demanding for this problem to be fixed as soon as possible.
"Upgraded to iOS4 a few hours ago. Went to my car and plugged it into the USB port of my pioneer stereo and it says ’Not compatible.’ My stereo has always worked with my iphone. PLEASE FIX THIS ASAP, APPLE."
"Hi Had the same problem this morning on my way to work. I have a JVC KD-R601 and as most of you are saying it has worked flawlessly with OS3. Tried a hard reset and nothing is curing it. Will there be a further OS update to fix this?"
Apparently, the update isn’t the only thing that has caused a fumble. The new iPhone 4 is said to lose signal when held at certain angles or by its sides and the screen is susceptible to a yellow discoloration.
Did Apple jump the gun in releasing the iPhone4 and the iOS4 update? Should they have delayed sales until all of the bugs were worked out? We know how sensitive iPhone users can be when it comes to their phones (we have a slight obsession with our own iPhones) so we would have to agree that this problem is one that should be dealt with immediately. Drop a comment to let us know what you think.
There’s nothing like providing drivers with even more reason to take their eyes off the road and on their iPhone. In a “useful” attempt to aid drivers in the area of speed and red light cameras to slow down and be careful, PocketGPSworld.com has come up with an iPhone app that will surely cause more harm than good. ‘CamerAlert’ is a new app that will alert drivers of the location of speed cameras and red light cameras when the driver gets close to the vicinity of these devices. As an added “safety” feature CamerAlert will also display the driver’s average speed when they are in the area of a speed camera. And drivers of the world can get buy this “helpful” app for only $0.59.
Okay, does this sound completely ridiculous and irrelevant to anyone else? Yes, this app will allow the driver to be aware of these devices, but it will also cause them to look away from the road! Hey, PocketGPSworld, catch the news lately? We are all trying to keep drivers’ eyes on the road, not on their cell phones.
Hit the jump for the "advantageous" press release.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs finally revealed the new iPhone 4 today and while the rest of the world is already fawning over the new Apple gizmo, we in the auto industry had our curiousities picqued when in the middle of his presentation, Jobs also revealed a new ad for the 2011 Nissan Leaf.
Regrettably, the ad can only be viewed using the new iPhone 4, which, of course, we still don’t have. In the event that you’re picking one up in the near future - and by near future, we mean, like, next week - it might be in your best interest to watch the ad and enter the contest to win a 2011 Nissan Leaf. Seeing as the field would probably be thin at best, the chances of you going home with Nissan’s electric car increases. And oh, you’re going to be going up against Jobs himself, who saw fit to enter the contest. As if he needs to win one.
Do you have that obsessive desire to keep track of anything and everything that goes on at the 24 Hours of Le Mans? If the answer is yes, you should send a fruit basket to the folks over at EVO for creating a free iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad app that chronicles everything you need to know about the legendary endurance race.
With the help of Audi, all of the pertinent information you need will be featured in the app, including driver bios, team profiles, and the ever-so-important trackside and behind-the-scene news. Granted, Audi made sure that they have a section all to themselves, but still, the whole app was created especially for the most obsessive fans of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
So, before you start jumping and screaming in delight, you better head over to the iTunes App Store and start downloading the program. Oh, did we mention it was free? Get to it, then.
We didn’t know that Chevrolet liked baseball so much that they made a new baseball app for the the iPhone, the iTouch, and the iPad. Now, you won’t mistake it for something along the lines of what you would normally play on the Xbox or Playstation, but for sheer entertainment value, the game’s got a little juice on its swing.
Teams are predictably named after Chevy vehicles, two of which are the "Sil", as in Silverado, and the "Cam", as in the Camaro with game settings varying from a regular baseball game to spring training sessions. If you want to put your bat down for a second, you can head over to the Chevy dugout to check the latest four-wheeled machinery to carry the Bowtie badge.
As with most apps to come out lately, Chevy Baseball does come with a catch of its own: someone’s going to win a trip to the 2010 MLB All-Star Game. How’s that for a little incentive? And if you’re already itching to swing some cork on those seam-lined balls, you can now download the app for free over at the App Store.
