Hasta La Gadget!

BMW has been refining its ConnectedDrive services for months, but that was apparently just the prelude to greater things: the automaker just outlined a roadmap for 2013 and beyond. The company is rolling out iDrive 4.2 firmware for the 2014 model year that supports web browsing while stopped, iAP Bluetooth control through iOS devices and integration with both Siri Eyes Free and S Voice. The new revision also brings voice search for locations through Google, and a ConnectedDrive Store lets drivers buy services without leaving the car.

There’s more to come in the long run. BMW will add support for Android apps later this year, for a start. It also wants cellular services to be commonplace. Many of its cars will have built-in SIM cards from July onward, and the company expects that cellular access will eventually be standard or near-standard worldwide — certainly in i-series cars, where it’s needed for remote control. About the only catch to the strategy is the current lack of upgrade plans for those with older vehicles. If you’re using a 2013 BMW or earlier, you may have to settle for owning the Penultimate Driving Machine.

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Wireless

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Via: CNET

Source: BMW (1), (2)

LG’s Quick Voice app’s monolingual status shouldn’t last long. After a quick restyle — it’s now Q Voice — the app is gearing up to launch internationally with an English language version ready for the first half of next year. LG also adds a bit more detail on its voice recognition offering, which can pick out a single female voice in a noisy room full of men and have the ability to make settings adjustments to Bluetooth, sound and vibration by speech. Perhaps only slightly less important than real functionality, the Q Voice interface will also include some “witty emotional responses” — ask what the device had for lunch and it will say it chowed down on 220 volts. LG Korea reiterates that the functionality is still limited to its domestic models of the Optimus Vu and incoming Optimus LTE II at the moment, but will feature on additional phones in the future. While voice recognition from bigger mobile rivals hasn’t revolutionized how we use our phones just yet, LG’s hoping the sheen of the newish tech won’t have worn off by 2013.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

LG’s voice recognition app studies English, aims to pass the test next year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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