BMW, the German automaker, has officially announced that ConnectedDrive integration for BlackBerry will be available starting this fall, which isn’t too far from now. BMW has chosen BlackBerry to be the device of choice for the new integration. When released, ConnectedDrive will permit users to receive email in BMW vehicles via Bluetooth from their BlackBerry. If I remember clearly, the last time mobile phones were popular in automobiles goes dated back to the early 1990’s.
BMW is going to bring back the meaning of mobile to your vehicle, and starting with a BlackBerry. The Pearl 3G will be the first BlackBerry supported device to function with ConnectedDrive. Emails will be displayed on the iDrive control panel, and will also be read aloud to you through the vehicles sound system. Users will aslo be able to transfer tasks, calendar entries, text messages and more from the device for display on the Nav panel in the vehicle. Your media cards will be put to the test because the ability to control the media player on your device via the iDrive system will be available. ConnectedDrive is set to be available for all Bimmers equipped with a navigation system and will be offered in Europe and North America as well.
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BMW extends office functions to include incoming e-mail with voice output.
24.06.2010 Press Release
Munich . As part of the ongoing expansion of office functions in BMW ConnectedDrive, BMW is now the first automobile manufacturer in the world to enable e-mail messages to be received inside the vehicle enabled by a Bluetooth connection. From autumn 2010, owners of a BlackBerry® smartphone made by the mobile phone manufacturer RIM (Research In Motion) will be able to access the phone’s e-mail function via the operating system iDrive. A new Bluetooth interface to integrate the BlackBerry device into the vehicle enables e-mails to be received, displayed on the Control Display and even read out by means of an optional voice output function. With this innovative technology, the premium automobile manufacturer continues to extend its leading role in the integration of entertainment, communication and online functions in vehicles.
The new facilities for e-mail access tie in directly from the BMW ConnectedDrive office functions presented at the beginning of the year. Likewise unique worldwide, these allow not just call and contact lists but also calendar entries, text messages, tasks and memos to be transferred from compatible smartphones to the vehicle via Bluetooth interface. The relevant entries can be selected using the Controller of the iDrive operating system and shown on the Control Display. Even the picture file saved with a contact address on a mobile phone can be shown on the vehicle monitor. In addition, BMW ConnectedDrive also allows the music player functions of smartphones to be conveniently operated using the iDrive system. Incoming e-mail in the vehicle represents yet another milestone in the integration of modern smartphones. The new BlackBerry® PearlTM 3G is the first smartphone from the BlackBerry smartphone portfolio that supports this functionality.
Like the functions previously introduced, e-mail access via Bluetooth also helps make the use of communication and entertainment options of modern smartphones in the vehicle convenient and safe. The operating system iDrive provides unique facilities for the simple, safe and intuitive control of all functions while causing minimum distraction from the road. For the first time, incoming and saved e-mails from the Bluetooth-integrated smartphone can now be retrieved and shown on the Control Display in just a few standardized operating stages. Relief of the driver is further enhanced with the optional voice output function. It can be activated at a single press of a button, the text of the e-mail is then read out loud.
The new e-mail function is available for all BMW models fitted with the navigation system Professional including mobile phone preparation. It will be offered in Europe and North America from autumn 2010.
Source: BMW