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Filed under: Etc. , Euro , Tech , BMW Thirty different auto manufacturers and technology companies are partners in a group called Car 2 Car Communication Consortium . The point is to create cars that talk to each other -- but instead of swapping secrets only with other cars of the same brand, the group wants to create vehicles that can speak to any other car, truck, or motorcycle on the road. As one would expect, there are a number of things needed to successful implement the idea. The most important hurdle has just been cleared with the announcement that all parties have agreed on the European radio frequency that vehicles would would use to communicate. Ultimately, the consortium wants to create the ability for a Car 2 Car equipped vehicle to warn any nearby vehicle of an icy patch on the road, or for a motorcycle nearing an intersection to notify you while you're behind the wheel. Now that the consortium has a common channel to use, it only needs to decide on a common language. Esperanto...
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Filed under: Gadgets , Tech , BMW BMW's research unit has announced its latest innovation; the groundbreaking research has led to.... a Mobil Speedpass. This new multifunction smart key, co-developed with NXP Semiconductor, is actually more functional than ExxonMobil's 11-year-old RFID gadget, but that's the general idea. Wrapping NXP's latest SmartMX chip into a prototype car key will enable users to pay for items with the key, as well as using the contactless payment feature to pay for public transportation and tolls, too. Personalized services using BMW telematics will also be possible with the key - whatever that really means, we don't know. Will you be able to play a Euro version of Michael Knight? The most important thing BMW's new smart key will do, however, is efficiently give access to your car and personal finances to someone else should you misplace the doohickey. Marvelous. Please, BMW, for your next trick could you add some simplicity to your cars? ...
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Filed under: Gadgets , Tech , BMW Automakers have been adding electronic gizmos to vehicles for decades, and operating systems have been developed to allow each system communicate with one another. The OSs are different from one brand to the next, but BMW wants to help develop a system using an open-source Linux platform it's helping to create along with Google and Wind River Systems. Using Linux as a base would allow anyone with a background in coding to make changes to the system to suit each manufacturer's needs. Plus, a single platform would make it easier for third-party vendors to create hardware or an application and be sure that it would work correctly in any vehicle using the OS. Automakers such as General Motors and Chrysler sound interested in the idea, while Ford and Honda, which already use a Microsoft OS in their cars, have a few more questions that need answering before they are ready to jump on the open-source bandwagon. In any case, in-car gadgetry's not going...
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Filed under: Audio , Gadgets , Tech , BMW It's no secret that our cars are quickly becoming extensions of our data-crazed lives. Everywhere we go, we surround ourselves with electronics meant to make our lives more convenient. Plus, most of these gadgets are just plain cool. Microsoft and Ford started something with the SYNC system and Apple has the market cornered with its iPod and iPhone, with integration of those i-devices now becoming popular options with car shoppers. Don't expect Google to sit back and watch. The internet giant has teamed up with an impressive list of major players, including Intel and Wind River Systems . These companies are actively working on getting their Android open-source operating system integrated into cars as we speak. If we had to wager a guess, it would be BMW that's most likely to roll out a new Android-powered infotainment system first, possibly as early as next year according to John Bruggeman, chief marketing officer at Wind River. For...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Convertibles , Coupes , Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Tech , BMW , Lifestyle BMW Assist -- essentially the Bavarian's version of GM's OnStar -- has made BMW Search using Google Maps available on the 1 and 3 Series. Previously, it was only available on BMW models from the 5 series up. If you subscribe to the BMW Assist Convenience Plan, you can use BMW Search to find businesses, then input the information directly into the navigation system, or call with your Bluetooth phone over the service's AT&T Mobility Network (you don't need to have AT&T, though). BMW Search joins BMW's MyInfo service, which allowed customers and businesses to send listings and street addresses directly to the car. BMW Assist is standard on 5, 6, and 7 Series, and included in the Premium Package or as a stand-alone option on all other models. Continue reading Google Maps-powered BMW Search added to 1 and 3 Series Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Euro , Tech var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/design/When_you_re_bored_with_one_color_car_use_tape'; When a BMW 335i owner in Munich became bored with his black coupe, he hired a team to wrap it in white tape. Two days later, he drove home in his refreshed "Alpine White" coupe (with an M3-appearing black roof). No, it's not normal tape. It's a special 3M wrap, and the process is known as "foiling." Apparently, the German military has been using the process (with an olive drab tape) for some time now. Likewise, the process is popular with race teams and taxi companies. Available in countless colors, the tape itself is thick enough to protect the paint from minor chips and nicks, and it can be left adhered to the surface for 3-4 years without damage (!). Adhesion isn't a problem either, as the tape can even withstand an automatic car wash without peeling off. Thanks for the tip Frank. Gallery: Foil Tape Paint Job ...
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Filed under: Motorsports , Tech , BMW , Motorcycles Click on the image above for more shots of the 2WD BMW concept bike A rider needs to be just a bit off their rocker to have any chance of winning a European hill climbing event, but some really effective machinery can make the task slightly easier. With that in mind, BMW, long considered to be a rather staid and proper bike manufacturer, has gone off the deep end by creating a two-wheel drive off-road hill climbing machine. Powered by slightly modified version of the parallel twin engine used in the German marque's F800 and new GS machines, the liquid cooled mill should offer nearly one-hundred horsepower to both wheels. Getting that power to the ground in front is what appears to be a hydraulic pump and motor system mounted to the beefy front forks. Spinning forces originate from a dual sprocket with chains leading to the rear axle and up into the bodywork. With dedicated racing machinery like this and the new 450cc four-stroke dirt...
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Filed under: Tech , BMW BMW's MY 2009 cars will get a new iDrive system with a 40GB hard drive. According to Bimmerfile, the drive allotment will have 12GB dedicated to navigational maps (and 8GB for entertainment and 10GB for your address book, because you've got more friends than music, apparently). With nav maps placed on the hard drive, BMW will no longer be providing a case full of map DVDs. The maps will have the entire US on them, or Europe if you pick up your car at BMW Welt . When things have moved on and it's time to get your maps updated, you'll take your car and your checkbook to a BMW dealer, and they'll install U.S. v2.0. [Source: BMW Blog ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Gadgets , Sedans/Saloons , Tech , BMW The next BMW 7-Series is going to be graced with some serious driving technology. While the image above doesn't appear to have anything like the picture quality of Mercedes' NightVision Assist, BMW's offering will have some other features that you probably won't find this side of a special ops base. The second-gen night vision system will be able to detect humans in the road because it will use thermal imaging. It will alert the driver of human impediments up to 100 meters ahead, and it won't be confused by humans on the sidewalk. If a collision is imminent, a flashing warning triangle will appear on the screen and the heads-up display. European versions of the car won't have to rely on navigation software to know the speed limit of a given road. A camera behind the rear-view mirror will read street sings in any country that is signed to the Vienna Convention -- which doesn't include the U.S. That function will...
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Filed under: Gadgets , Tech , BMW These days, technology and customization go hand-in-hand. Laptop computers and MP3 players now come in a rainbow of colors and your computer's operating system can be made to suit your unique preferences. BMW has big plans in store for its oft-criticized iDrive system which would make it and the vehicle in which it's installed extremely customizable as well. Simple choices such as color schemes and screensavers for the iDrive's graphical user interface pale in comparison to the ability to adjust transmission shift points and engine boost levels in an effort to either increase fuel economy or improve overall performance. Multiple users will be able to make their own adjustments and save their settings and the car will know the driver based on which key fob is in close proximity. There are way too many new features planned for iDrive than there is space in this post to display them. For the complete and exhaustive rundown, click here . Thankfully...
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Filed under: Gadgets , Euro , Tech , BMW , Toys With all the tools installed on mobile phones these days (to say nothing of the ones trying to use them in traffic), there's plenty of ways to keep yourself productive while waiting for an appointment, a train, a date... whatever. Unfortunately, none of them enable you to improve your lap time on the Nürburgring. Fret not, dear gearhead, for Hands-On Mobile is coming to the rescue. The mobile software company has partnered with both BMW AG and Nürburgring GmbH to develop BMW Racing, a new video game for cell phones. The game will allow mobile gamers to drive any of six different cars - including the M3, M5, M6 and BMW Sauber F1.08, all fully licensed - around a virtual Nordschleife in two different player modes. The game will be available from participating mobile carriers in Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America this summer, while we pray American carriers pick up the game, too. Press release after the jump. [Source: Hands...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Tech , Audi , BMW , Lexus , Mercedes Benz As we reported last month , it appears BMW and Audi, following the lead of Lexus, will begin to offer eight-speed automatic transmissions in their flagship models. Sources are now saying the transmission will be supplied by ZF Friedrichshafen, a familiar German supplier to both marques. Although we don't know all of the specifics, Audi is expected to debut the new slushbox in the range-topping A8 sedan , Q7 SUV , and their future A7 premium model . BMW will likely debut the new gearbox in their premium 7-Series sedan and the X6 Sport Activity Vehicle , according to company sources. The current Audi A8 and BMW 7-Series both use six-speed automatics. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class utilizes a seven-speed automatic of their own design, while Lexus debuted their eight-speed transmission (used in their LS models) four years ago. Increasing the number of forward gears offers advantages in smoothness, acceleration...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Tech , BMW Are transmissions a new battlefront in the war for customers amongst high end brands? Mercedes has been doing seven ratios for a little while, and Lexus has a new 8-cogger on offer, too. BMW's not content to be trailing with just 6 speeds, so the new 7-series (F01) will reportedly ship with an 8-speed automatic transmission. If high fuel prices and tightening emissions and consumption requirements manage to snuff out our recent horsepower battles, gear ratios are all we'll have left. BMW's 8-speed fits in the same space as the old 6-speed, and is said to be smoother and more efficient than the outgoing gearbox. Perhaps more important than the greater ratio spread and increased fuel economy that the new transmission will bring is the shifter moves back to the console (cue choir of heavenly angels). Expect the new 8-speed and its modular design to wind up in many BMW vehicles after its initial launch in the upcoming 7-series. [Source: Bimmerfile...
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Filed under: Tech , BMW Promising to make automotive navigation systems "easier, faster, and more convenient to use," BMW is (finally) rolling out its Google-partnered "Myinfo" service in North America ( Europeans received BMW's similar "ConnectedDrive" late last year ). With a click of a mouse from the Google Maps web site on your computer, up to 10 destinations may be automatically sent to the navigation system of the BMW Assist-equipped model (yes, there is no need to use the iDrive controller to painstakingly plug them in). The telemetry may be sent while the vehicle is parked, or while driving if you have shared your Myinfo data with a relative, friend, or co-worker. BMW is making Myinfo exclusive to the 2008 BMW X6 right now, however it plans to roll it out across the lineup in 2009. Inputting address and destination data into any navigation system has always been grievous, so we welcome any technology that allows remote, one-click, uploading. BMW's...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Green , Tech , BMW Click above for high-res gallery of the BMW Hydrogen 7 The BMW Hydrogen 7 arrived in late 2006 boasting the unique ability to run its V12 powerplant on both hydrogen and gasoline. This was a smart idea, as the on-board 30-gallon tank of -253° Centigrade liquid hydrogen was only good for a range of about 125 miles. The other fuel tank, filled with 19.5 gallons of good old-fashioned gasoline, extended the range another 310 miles. It didn't offer any environmental advantage, but it did allow you to get home. BMW is following up the original Hydrogen 7 with a new version - this time minus the gasoline tank. While official performance specifications, including emissions data, have not been released, BMW is claiming both performance and range have been increased. It will debut at the 2008 National Hydrogen Association Conference and the 2008 SAE World Congress in mid-April, when BMW is expected to release emissions...
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