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Nokia partners with European automotive powerhouses for in-car apps
Downloadable horntones? Music-sensitive interior lighting? In-dash version of Snake? All in your future -- at least if you plan to own an Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, or VW at some point. Nokia has come to an agreement with all of them to provide in-car apps and greater smartphone integration tech. This, of course, isn't the first move from the company (which has been showing off its Terminal Mode dash lately), but it certainly could be a major coup for Espoo. These five are by far the dominant players in the European market and certainly have a lot of clout worldwide. Exactly what sort of apps and integration remains to be seen, but recent statements from Audi may give a glimpse, saying it wants users to be able to "download heated seats." Naturally you can't download heating coils and circuitry, but the company could cut costs by just building that option into every vehicle and then enabling it via in-car purchase -- probably on a chilly January's morn. Distasteful? Yeah, just like paying extra to unlock "downloadable content" that's already sitting on the videogame disc.
RIM converts BMW's iDrive into 'a remote control for your BlackBerry' (video)
If there's one thing business types love more than their BlackBerry, it's their BMW -- or so we're told. It makes all sorts of sense, therefore, that the two companies would partner up to help the things they sell communicate with each other more effortlessly. Using Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile), BlackBerry devices can now beam emails and contacts over to BMW's iDrive dash system, where the driver can listen to his messages via a text-to-speech option or make calls using the car's speakerphone. The first supported handset is the newly minted Pearl 3G, and we're told this functionality will come as an integrated part of BlackBerry 6. To see how it works on a 335is, click past the break for the video. [Thanks, Horatiu]
Cataclysm Class Changes: Holy paladin analysis
Apparently Christmas comes early in Irvine. Blizzard decided to share their notes for the paladin class a full two days ahead of time, which I have to say is a nice switch in tradition from their normal habit of pushing content back until "it's ready." While prot paladins are wondering what exactly Blizzard's plans are for their spec, ret paladins are worrying about losing their defensive capabilities that have been their go-to cooldowns in PvP play. The developers did however shine a light onto their plans for holy paladins in Cataclysm, revealing a bit of their design strategy. Nethaera Healing Hands (level 83): Healing Hands is a new healing spell. The paladin radiates heals from him or herself, almost like a Healing Stream Totem. It has a short range, but a long enough duration that the paladin can cast other heals while Healing Hands remains active. 15-second cooldown. 6-second duration. source The big reveal came in the form of Healing Hands, the future addition to our healing toolbox. While it satisfies a few of my requirements, such as having an AoE effect and being on a relatively short cooldown, there are still a lot of questions about exactly how powerful HH will be and how tiny the radius actually is. Either way, we've finally got something we can cast when our group is taking AoE damage, and that has me hopeful that we may finally escape the bonds of full-time tank healers. The power of this ability remains to be seen, but I'm glad that Blizzard knows what we lack and they're working to fix that.
Apple tops Fortune's Most Admired Companies list again
For the third year in a row, Apple has topped the list of Fortune's Most Admired Companies. The list was based on a poll of 4,200 executives across the world's top companies, and by the highest margin ever, they picked the Cupertino-based "mobile device company" as the world's most admired brand. Obviously the millions of MacBooks, iPhones, and iPods played a factor, but it sounds like the iPad sealed the deal this year. BMW's CEO is quoted waxing poetic about Apple's brand power: "The whole world held its breath before the iPad was announced. That's brand management at its very best." GE has actually had the most appearances at number one on the list, and Apple needs to stay high for two more years to take that record. But it's certainly possible -- if the iPad is as popular as expected, and Apple follows it up next year with an updated version and the kind of software revolution that the iPhone brought to handheld computing, they probably will nail down the top spot yet again.
Mini Countryman to be first production car with internet streaming radio?
BMW's Mini brand is getting a little bigger soon, with the Countryman bringing a taller stance and some AWD to the party, but that won't be the only exciting addition to the mix. The Countryman will be the first Mini to offer Mini Connected, an infotainment system of the likes of Sync or MyFord. This one naturally features iPhone/iPod integration and all that jazz, but most interesting is the so-called "web radio function" that will allow internet radio streams to be beamed right into the car. Stations must be selected from an "extensive" database, so it remains to be seen whether your favorite speed metal stream will be included, but more importantly Mini isn't saying just how those bits and bytes will get to the car. Will a USB modem be required? Will Mini charge a monthly service fee? Maybe you'll just need a really long Ethernet cable? We'll find out when it gets a full unveiling at the Geneva Auto Show next month.
BMW commits to Megacity EV by 2013, will start by testing ActiveE all-electric 1 series next year
BMW's first all-electric regular series production vehicle, the Megacity EV, has now been set in stone and inserted into the company's roadmap for a commercial launch in 2012 or 2013. The Bavarian automaker has gone official with word that it plans to use its Leipzig assembly plant to produce the car and further notes that it'll feature a similar setup to the ActiveE concept (pictured above), which is set for field testing in 2011. Essentially a 1 series that feeds off the electric grid rather than the nearest diesel pump, the ActiveE runs off an array of lithium-ion batteries á la the well liked but recently troubled Tesla Roadster, and will serve as a test mule for refining the underlying technology. Generating up to 170bhp might not sound all that impressive, but it should be more than sufficient for the urban commuters these vehicles will be aimed at. Now we just need Mercedes and Audi to match that release schedule and the electric car should finally have its day in the mainstream sun.
New York gets its first solar EV charging station, you can't use it
What do you do when you've got two disused shipping crates, some photovoltaics, and a couple buckets of toxic green paint? Why, you make a solar electric vehicle charging station, the first in New York as it happens. It was created by Beautiful Earth Group, which whipped up this self-contained charging station to juice the company's car, a similarly painted BMW Mini E that just so happens to fit nicely inside -- so long as you don't want to open the doors too wide. About three hours charges the little sucker up for its maximum range of 100 miles, which ought to be just enough to get you out to the Hamptons. Not that you'd want to go there this time of year. Update: We searched for an earlier solar station and came up empty, but vyper0 commented to let us know that this is indeed not the first for NY state, just the first for NYC. There was one installed out on Long Island earlier this year, which would mean you could not only get out to the Hamptons, but get back!
BMW-designed Thermaltake Level 10 scores breathless review
As PC cases go, the Level 10 is easily the most outrageous design to ever get the go-ahead for commercial distribution, and according to PC Perspective the reason for that is clear: the product's workmanship and long-term durability match its most excellent looks. Weighing in at nearly 50 pounds of densely packed aluminum, the Level 10 sports a modular design with room for six hard (or solid state) drives, three optical drives, multiple jumbo-sized GPUs, and even an appropriately huge power supply. Alas, the one shortcoming of all this supersizing (apart from the price) is pretty big in itself -- the case turned out to be so large as to make it impossible to connect some components with their standard cabling. We'll call that a newbie filtration feature and continue to hope someone loves us enough to buy us one.
BMW makes the awesome look SIMPLE with leaning three-wheeler (video)
BMW's latest concept isn't quite as far out as some of its earlier efforts, and the company has dubbed it SIMPLE, but don't let that fool you. Joining Nissan's Land Glider in a new trend toward leaning vehicles that have motorbike-like footprints, the "Sustainable and Innovative Mobility Product for Low Energy consumption" is said to have similar seating space to a BMW 3 Series coupe. Its space fighter appearance isn't just for show either -- with a drag coefficient of 0.18 and a weight of only 992 pounds, this bad boy is capable of harnessing a small internal combustion engine and electric motor to tear up the autobahn at up to 124mph. Zero to sixty in under ten seconds and 118 miles per gallon fuel efficiency fill out the sexy stat sheet, though sadly there are no productions plans as of yet. The concept is being exhibited in the BMW Museum in Munich, but if you can't make it over to Germany right now, there's a video for you after the break.
Thermaltake's brain-melting Level 10 PC chassis gets real, unboxed
Remember that Thermaltake enclosure that blew your mind back in March? Of course -- you're still recovering, after all. Fast forward to today, and that very case -- which had a hint of BMW influence, by the way -- has morphed into reality, and it's far and away one of the most fabulous cases we've ever seen. Amazingly, the finished product looks awfully similar to the concept, with each compartment boasting its own ventilation. There's room for pretty much anything you'd ever want (yes, even room for three Blu-ray writers), and of course, enough LEDs are included to light up the average night club. You should also know that the shipping container weighed 66 pounds and the chassis itself is probably larger than your eight year old, so unless you've got more square footage than you know what to do with, you're probably better off viewing the unboxing shots (there in the via link) from afar.[Via Maximum PC]
BMW and Mercedes to have Intel Atom-based infotainment systems in 2012
Intel just announced that both BMW and Mercedes-Benz will be shipping Atom-based infotainment systems designed by Harman-Becker in 2012. BMW will make the system available in the 7-series, while MB will put it in S- and C-class vehicles. According to Paul Otellini, these are just the first Atom-based in-vehicle entertainment systems to be announced, and automakers are coming around to "consistent and persistent platforms," so we'd expect this is the start of a very welcome trend. Sadly there was no demo, but we'll be on the lookout here at IDF.
2010 BMWs boast improved Nuance voice control system
BMWs aren't exactly lacking for technology these days, but it looks like the new 2010 models come packing a little something extra to make your life even easier. As Nuance Communications is all too happy to announce itself, the new vehicles boast an improved voice control system from the company that promises to allow for a "more conversational dialogue between drivers and BMW navigation and entertainment systems." That, naturally, gets paired with BMW's own iDrive system, and includes some Sync-like abilities to search for music by voice, as well as a new "One-Shot Destination Entry" feature to let folks enter a destination address in one simple voice command. It can even apparently recognize several different language in parallel, letting a French-speaking driver, for instance, search for a German song title or English album title.
BMW's Vision EfficientDynamics concept won't look a tenth this wild when it hits the streets
We hate concept cars. Year after year we see new concept cars more fantastical and amazing than the last, and year after year we see cars hit the market that have had all the magic ripped out of them by safety regulations and market realities. The newly unveiled Vision EfficientDynamics car from BMW is mainly here to show us BMW's new diesel-based plug-in hybrid drive system. But it's also here to annoy us. Video is after the break.
BMW kicking Garmin's zumo 660 up a notch with the Motorrad Navigator IV
Sure, Garmin's zumo 660 was designed with the biker in mind, but BMW's taking it one step further with the latest in its branded Motorrad series, the Navigator IV. Based on Garmin's GPS ditty, it's got the same 4.3-inch "glove friendly" touchscreen, voice control, and A2DP support. It can withstand heavy vibration, fuel sprays, UV rays, is waterproof and most importantly, can play your favorite adrenaline-pumping tunes for when those other precautions are being handily tested. Additionally, we've got a four-button motorcycle mount and it comes pre-loaded with a database of BMW dealers, just in case you ever need one in a jiff. Coming third quarter to US and Europe, there's no word on price yet, but as a basis for comparison, the cost of the zumo 660 is about $700.[Via NaviGadget]
Dude hardwires Palm Touchstone into BMW, charging ensues
In 2004, it was all about iPodding your BMW, but in 2009, it's all about Palming it. No, not "palming" as in concealing your car in the palm of your hand -- "Palming," you know, as in the act of hardwiring a Touchstone into your center console so that you can charge a Pre on the road with the greatest of ease. Ironically, this modern marvel of technology is mounted right where the iDrive controller would normally go, which means you're stuck making the nearly impossible choice between this hack and BMW's.[Thanks, Mike]
AutoLinQ initiative taps Android for new connected car initiative
This is a bit of a wild one: some very disparate companies are (apparently) teaming up to conquer the car, Microsoft Sync style. Details are a bit slim at the moment, but Continental Auto Group has announced plans to build what they're calling "the connected car." The new hardware and software system "leverages" the Android Marketplace, and encompasses car-friendly APIs, car-specific in-vehicle apps and a touchscreen interface plugged into a system designed to pull data from the web and control internal car systems. On a sketchier front, Phandroid has done some mucking around, and seems to think Google, BMW, T-Mobile, Wind River and SVOX are all on the short list for involvement. It's hard to say exactly how likely that might be, but we're happy to dream electric dreams of an OHA-style Sync killer along with them. Another shot is after the break.[Via Phandroid]
BMW's Emergency Stop Assistant halts your vehicle if you can't
While it may seem as if BMW and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany just hate seniors, we kind of doubt that's the prevailing mentality behind the admittedly brilliant Emergency Stop Assistant. Said technology is being testing as part of the Smart Senior project, and in theory, it will be able to detect medical emergencies, activate hazard lights and autonomously pull the car over safely if the driver cannot. Of course, we're still anxiously awaiting details on how the system plans on detecting said calamities and figuring out how to pull over without crashing, but one thing's for sure: OnStar just got a lot more outdated.
Automakers agree on common plug to recharge electric vehicles
Just hours after General Motors put forth a proposal for a standardized plug for electric vehicles, in flies this. German energy firm RWE has stated that a cadre of respected automakers and energy firms have all come together in agreement on a three-point, 400-volt plug that will enable electric cars the world over to be recharged anywhere, regardless of which recharging station they stop at. Caroline Reichert, an RWE spokeswoman, noted that the idea here is to ensure that "a car can be recharged in Italy in exactly the same way as in Denmark, Germany or France." We're told that the agreement includes nods of acceptance from the likes of Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Eon, Vattenfall, EDF, Npower, Endesa and Enel, and while there's no time frame for when it'll be introduced, we're pretty stoked to hear that at least something has been decided upon.
BMW devises smart car door that senses danger
BMW has already clearly shown that it wants to make its cars as smart as possible, and it looks like that extends right down to the doors, which have now been smartened up with a little help from the Technical University of Munich. According to New Scientist, the pair have developed a prototype door that uses a range of sensors to detect any oncoming dangers, and work in concert with an accelerometer in the door to prevent it from being opened. What's more, the sensors are apparently also able to detect the proximity of the object and adjust the resistance of the door accordingly -- for instance, slowing the door down if you're about to slam it into a lamp post. The current prototype does apparently have a bit of a problem when it comes to field of view, however, although BMW says that can be remedied with some added cameras in future versions, which could possibly be in actual cars in as little as a year -- though it's quick to point out that it hasn't made a final decision just yet.[Via Crave]
BMW designs PC case for Thermaltake
This new case for the fashion-forward PC gamer was dreamt up by the design wizards at BMW's Designworks USA. Instead of throwing all the components in what essentially amounts to one big box (like practically every other case), Thermaltake's Level 10 sees all the machine's components -- mobo, hard drives, optical drives, and so forth -- seated in their own compartments. Constructed mainly from aluminum, this guy will make its official debut at Computex in early June. In the meantime, hit the read link for some more spy photos taken on the floor at CeBIT.[Via Car Scoop]
