What the iDrive Should Be - Honda's 2014 version

[VMcV3y]

I'm a rather consistent complainer about the BMW Sat/Nav system. While I love love love so many things about my car, and while the driver-assistance technology may have been great at one time, it is rapidly falling behind the competition.

It will be a big hit to BMW to lose USD 2,000 on the options for an iDrive screen and Sat/Nav, but it's coming.

The iPhone's Garmin-branded Navigon is a superior Sat/Nav product to BMW Sat/Nav, at about 4% of the cost. It updates frequently, has better graphics, and so on and on.

It would have been fantastic if just only the display from an iPhone could show the map on the iDrive screen. But...nope.

Here's what Honda vehicles is doing, and this jumps the tech bar even higher.

http://www.tuaw.com/2013/12/03/honda...touchscreen-i/

Highlights: Hondalink Navigation, streaming their version to the vehicle display.

Hondalink App Launcher, find other apps (sort of like BMW Connect app)

Not to mention Siri EyesFree, and other coming attractions.

C'mon BMW: please integrate our iPhone (and Android) videos through the iDrive display. I'm seriously considering just buying an iPad Mini and affixing it over the iDrive screen!

/ rant over.... sort of.




- V

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[nullrouted]

I'm with you here -- I think auto 'entertainment computer' systems have been ridiculously behind the times for probably the past decade. Even brand new systems like Honda's are basically obsolete compared to your iPhone, for example. The simplest and cheapest way for an automaker to improve their touchscreen systems would be to use an Android device.

I mean shit, you could almost buy a $220 Nexus 7 tablet (could even splurge for the cell network model to remove the need to tether a phone), mount it in the dash, hook it to the amp for audio, add a sat radio device and you're done. Granted you'd only have 2-ch audio out and some other challenges, but they could all be overcome and take far less R&D than a complete system from scratch. The rest would just be apps that could easily be customized for each individual car maker and pre-loaded. The entire system could be updated automatically from the cloud without any user intervention, no more USB GPS updates, etc. I'll stop talking now because I've probably said too much about a potential business I'm working on =P

Why car companies still insist on 'rolling their own' hardware is beyond me. It all just ends up looking like a cheap knockoff of the tech that the rest of carry in our pockets daily.

[VMcV3y]

@nullrouted:

Utilising a consumer touchscreen computer, and placing over the iDrive screen, has been a growing interest of mine.

You're right: I could spend $400 on an iPad Mini, run the Snap-In Media adapter wires from the center console right-up into the back of the dash, and then have Navigon GPS, direct-car-audio with album-art, and EVERYTHING else that should be there. (just not real-time traffic unless I add Internet hotspot plan).

The only concerns would be theft-risk and extreme temperatures.

And strong glue.

- V


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[Haywood]

I've always said that the Japanese are far ahead of American and German cars around infotainment/NAV systems in their vehicles.

[Law]

Originally Posted by nullrouted

I'm with you here -- I think auto 'entertainment computer' systems have been ridiculously behind the times for probably the past decade. Even brand new systems like Honda's are basically obsolete compared to your iPhone, for example. The simplest and cheapest way for an automaker to improve their touchscreen systems would be to use an Android device.

I mean shit, you could almost buy a $220 Nexus 7 tablet (could even splurge for the cell network model to remove the need to tether a phone), mount it in the dash, hook it to the amp for audio, add a sat radio device and you're done. Granted you'd only have 2-ch audio out and some other challenges, but they could all be overcome and take far less R&D than a complete system from scratch. The rest would just be apps that could easily be customized for each individual car maker and pre-loaded. The entire system could be updated automatically from the cloud without any user intervention, no more USB GPS updates, etc. I'll stop talking now because I've probably said too much about a potential business I'm working on =P

Why car companies still insist on 'rolling their own' hardware is beyond me. It all just ends up looking like a cheap knockoff of the tech that the rest of carry in our pockets daily.

This.
I'm fairly surprised that this change didn't happen sooner.
This is no different than a car mfr having Recaro make its seats or BBS to make its wheels so an Android-esque system definitely sees potential in the future.

Still, i doubt BMW will make a shift to touch displays. As it stands today, the current gen i-Drive is still one of the most user-friendly, ironic considering it was the opposite when the first gen debuted. I'm sure BMW will find a way to make it work (i.e., i-Drive running an Android-like OS), at the same time i wouldn't blame them if they don't. The i-drive in the F-chassis BMWs are wow.

[peeti]

What's more is BMW is not an OEM who signed on for the new siri-hands-free or the iOs in car... don't expect any of this tech making it's way into the car. It's silly to have to fish out the phone just to hold the menu button to talk to the phone - when there's a phone button on the steering wheel. If they could just make that part a software load options it would rock!

[Johndong888]

Originally Posted by peeti

What's more is BMW is not an OEM who signed on for the new siri-hands-free or the iOs in car... don't expect any of this tech making it's way into the car. It's silly to have to fish out the phone just to hold the menu button to talk to the phone - when there's a phone button on the steering wheel. If they could just make that part a software load options it would rock!

The mic button on the steering wheel does turn on Siri with a longer hold but only for NBT navigation in the F series vehicles.

[rsv4dan]

Originally Posted by peeti

What's more is BMW is not an OEM who signed on for the new siri-hands-free or the iOs in car... don't expect any of this tech making it's way into the car. It's silly to have to fish out the phone just to hold the menu button to talk to the phone - when there's a phone button on the steering wheel. If they could just make that part a software load options it would rock!

No great loss! Not everyone has a crappy iphone

Im in fact thankful that rubbish like this doesn't get focused on. Because it means that android-related stuff gets ignored.

[Staszek]

I may be in the minority, but I HATE touch screens in a car. First you are reaching to far for it, second they look like garbage due to fingerprints almost the second any light hits them.

I do think our system needs work, but I am thankful we do not have a touch screen.