Hasta La Gadget!

Like son, like father? Evidently that’s exactly how things are playing out, with papa BMW following the footsteps of MINI in the run-up to 2011. Just days after the MINI Connected app found itself situated in the App Store, a BMW Connected app has done likewise. The software itself is free to download, but you’ll need a 6NR-equipped Bimmer to take advantage. From what we can gather, you’ll have to fork out €150 or so for the Apps option, but sadly, there are two costly prerequisites to that: a €3,800 navigation option and a €400 USB interface. In other words, we get the impression that existing BMW owners are out of luck. If you’ve got the magic concoction (available from March 2011), you’ll be able to access web radio stations, hear your Twitter and Facebook updates aloud and control your music via the iDrive setup. That is, until iOS 4.3 goes and breaks compatibility with everything, forever. Joy, joy.

BMW Connected app hits iOS App Store, ‘Apps’ function hitting vehicles next year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get your iPhone running. Head out on the highway. Looking for some pancakes, and whatever else Google Local Search finds along the way. BMW’s Mini brand has been on the forefront of iOS connectivity and the Mini Connect app is now in the App Store, ready for download. It lets you stream internet radio through your 2011 model’s speakers or have Twitter and news feeds read to you. Google integration means easy use of Local Search and a “Send To Car” feature lets you find your destination on the phone and then deploy it to the rather more clunky built-in nav system. Finally, the “Minimalism Analyser” (MINImalism, hah!) gives you points for driving all nice and environmentally friendly. You’d better lay off the Stepphenwolf if you’re looking to do well there.

Mini Connected app hits iTunes, now you can finally hit the road originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW Group’s Designworks USA — where have we heard about those folks before? Ah, yes, that’s the crew that’s responsible for Thermaltake’s Level 10 PC case, and we’re desperately hoping that this concept has an equal (or greater) level of success in the open market. The subway car you see above is purportedly 97.5 percent recyclable, with an aluminum chassis, vivacious hues and a ridiculously spacious interior. It’s being labeled the Siemens Inspiro, and it’s on track to show up in Warsaw’s Metro Warszawskie just over a year from now. No word on where to sign up for conductor dutie, though.

BMW Designworks USA flexes its eco muscle with Siemens Inspiro subway concept originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.

This week saw several amazing feats of aeronautics as we showcased the world’s first continuous flight of a human-powered ornithopter and the sun-powered Solar Impulse plane embarked upon an incredible voyage across Switzerland. We also watched transportation take off as BMW unveiled a zippy new electric scooter, Sanitov launched a GPS enabled cargo tricycle in London, and this week’s Green Overdrive show took us off-roading on a souped-up e-bike!

Renewable energy tech also energized the globe as several countries in Central America launched plans to tap volcanoes for power and China developed the world’s first directly solar-powered air conditioning unit. Energy storage also got a big boost as Stanford researchers unveiled a new type of bendable battery made out of paper – just the thing to power the flexible e-readers of the future.

In other news, this week we brought you exclusive coverage of the greatest green designs from this year’s London Design Festival and we showcased the latest in wearable tech – instant spray-on clothing in a can! Finally, we tackled an issue that has plagued tech junkies forever – those impossible-to-open clamshell plastic packages.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: fly like a bird, bend batteries in half, and spray clothing from a can originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you wish the iPod support in your BMW or Mini was a little less Munich and a little more Cupertino, this latest development from Bavaria will make you a happy little infotainment meister. BMW is announcing that its in-car iPod compatibility will be boosted to support iOS 4’s iPod Out feature, which does not enhance your gadget’s Ryan Seacrest impression but instead allows it to output its interface to another device. So, the in-car dash will replicate the simple iPod UI, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on whether you prefer Apple’s design cues to BMW’s. No word on exactly which vehicles will get this support, but this is referred to as part of a “new offer,” so it certainly sounds like future autos only. C’mon guys, haven’t you heard of a firmware update?

Continue reading BMW supports iPod Out, fills your 2011 auto with 2001’s finest user interface

BMW supports iPod Out, fills your 2011 auto with 2001’s finest user interface originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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