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Crave at CNET UK: Here’s a clever (and horribly overdue) idea–BMW’s set to install iPad mounting brackets in the rear of its next X3 compact 4×4. Three cheers for common sense!

The brackets–an optional extra–will allow users to mount their iPads in the rear of the vehicle, just behind the driver or passenger seats. A special hinge will let the wonder tablets swivel into vertical and horizontal positions.

With a system like this, the entertainment and productivity possibilities are pretty much endless. Passengers will be able to use their iPads to enjoy music, videos, books, as well as thousands of apps and games.

Read more of “iPad docks coming to BMW X3″ at Crave UK.

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GPS Business News: Last week BMW Group announced their support for “iPod Out”, a new feature in Apple iOS 4 that allows BMW and MINI infotainment systems to display and control the music playback feature in iPhone and iPod touch in the vehicle’s main display. With this technology the iPod navigation menu can be operated through the vehicle’s interface controls. BMW Group will offer this feature in 2011 vehicles (BMW and Mini). (more…)

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GPS Business News: Nokia and CE4A (Consumer Electronics for Automotive) working group have released the Terminal Mode technology specification as a proposed industry standard for the integration of mobile applications into the car environment. The German CE4A group includes Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche and Volkswagen.

Developed in co-operation with Nokia Research Center in Palo Alto and CE4A, Terminal Mode integrates smartphones into an in-vehicle infotainment system. Once connected, the full range of smartphone features, services and applications, such as navigation and music from Ovi by Nokia can be made available through screens and audio systems embedded in the car. It also enables information exchange between the smartphone and the car systems.

In addition to the CE4A participants, Nokia has also established collaborations with Alpine Electronics, Continental, Fiat, Harman Becker and Magneti Marelli to use this technology.

A “Terminal Mode Summit” is expected to take place in June 2010, but no more information was made available by Nokia on this topic at this stage.

The specification documents (Terminal Mode v0.9) are available here:
http://www.nokia.com/terminalmode

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Engadget: 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.

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NaviGadget: BMW has an ad campaign going on these days showing how you can endanger the lives of pedestrians trying to scribble something on a map using GPS.

On this next video for example for they tried for “unstoppable” but it more looks like “Un_toppdole”.

Apparently you can join in on the fun by Uploading your GPS drawing at http://gps.bmw-motorrad.com/.

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Ubergizmo: BMW is always at the forefront of vehicle technology and their latest contribution would be Intelligent Learning Navigation System (ILENA). The system will learn your (bad) driving habits as well as daily routes in order to assist you better when it comes to navigation and fuel economy.

It looks as though ILENA functions via Bluetooth connectivity or a docked handset, but drivers have the choice of an onscreen user select mode as well.

ILENA will be able to adjust your seating preferences and rear view mirror once it recognizes you, displaying the best way and method of driving to get to your destination even before you manage to back out from your garage.

Apparently ILENA is 80% accurate despite being in its development stages – we shudder to think that when it is fully operational, it will run for President in 2012.

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Mobile Magazine: The in-dash entertainment system found in our cars these days is getting more and more advanced by the day. We’ve already got music, movies, and navigation, but BMW wants to add Internet access to the mix too. Man, this sounds incredibly useful, especially if you need to quickly look up a phone number, blast off an email, or find out a movie showtime.

Yes, we realize that this could be pretty dangerous. People yakking on their cell phones and sending text messages is hazardous enough, let alone surfing the web and watching the latest YouTube video. Thankfully, the BMW ConnectDrive system will not work will the car is in motion. The browser is controlled through the iDrive interface, much like everything else in the car.

The service works over an EDGE connection, so we’re not sure if you need to sign up for a service on your own or if BMW covers that part of the equation for you. Furthermore, the technology compresses the data in a similar way to Opera Mini on cell phones. Look for a formal unveiling at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show.

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NaviGadget: Garmin and BMW recently announced a partnership where Garmin will customize sat nav systems for BMW 1 and 3 series based on the nuvi 360.The portable GPS navigation system will have custom logos, pre-installed BMW dealer database and a special dock on the car’s instrument panel which means no clutter:

“…includes a customized mounting bracket that allows owners to mount the nüvi directly to the interior trim on the instrument panel, rather than to the windshield via a suction cup mount like traditional Garmin portable navigation systems… The special bracket is powered by BMW’s onboard network and eliminates the need for exposed power cables. The mount charges the nüvi’s built-in battery so that the device may also be used outside of the car when navigating a city as a pedestrian.”

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CNNMoney: Garmin International, a unit of Garmin, yesterday announced that Garmin will supply the BMW Group with the Garmin nuvi 360 as a customized portable navigation solution for the BMW 1 and 3 Series.

“This system has numerous customizations that make it unique to BMW such as the BMW logo on the navigation device’s exterior casing, BMW logo on the welcome screen, BMW dealer database and tailored mounting system,” said Roger Jollis, Garmin’s director of OEM & mobile marketing.

The BMW Navigation Portable system includes a customized mounting bracket that allows owners to mount the nuvi directly to the interior trim on the instrument panel, rather than to the windshield via a suction cup mount like traditional Garmin portable navigation systems. BMW’s mounting system was designed specifically for the 1 and 3 Series and is positioned for optimal use by the driver. The special bracket is powered by BMW’s onboard network and eliminates the need for exposed power cables. The mount charges the nuvi’s built-in battery so that the device may also be used outside of the car when navigating a city as a pedestrian.

This announcement marks Garmin’s second customized portable navigation system with the BMW AG family. Last year, MINI announced a specially configured retrofit mobile navigation system, also based on the Garmin nuvi 360, for use in any model in the MINI range.

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NaviGadget: It looks like people at Google were working with just more than BMW in Germany to make their service available in high-end vehicles.

Mercedes introduced a service called “Search & Send” that lets drivers search for a destination in Google Maps or Yahoo Local Maps and send this directly to their vehicles.

However it is not going to work on every Mercedes – only on 07 S-Class, CL-Class, and 08 C-Class with the Multimedia Package and Navigation System so far. And the part that actually send this information to your car from your PC is called Mercedes-Benz Tele Aid System which is complimentary for first year’s subscription.

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Absolute Gadget: The Apple iPhone has already become an object of desire amongst gadget fiends. But now it looks likely to become a favourite of the owners of certain German cars.The BMW Group has announced that a number of models in its range will be equipped to handle the Apple iPhone.

The upgrade includes all MINI models, as well as the BMW 6 Series, BMW 5 Series, BMW 3 Series, BMW 1 Series and BMW X5.

BMW said it was the first automobile manufacturer to offer integration of the new smartphone generation in cars in the US, and now it is preparing for the iPhone’s European launch later this year.

The first BMW vehicles that are iPhone friendly will be shown at the Frankfurt Auto Show on September 13th.

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Discovery Channel: A BMW that listens to you and talks back was featured at CeBIT, an industry-leading tech show.

Anyone who’s held hope that they may one day exchange witty remarks with their vehicle – just like K.I.T.T. on Knight Rider – is a bit closer to their dream today. If you’re lucky enough to be getting behind the wheel of this prototype of the TALK project’s technology, you will indeed be talking to a car…if you speak German.

People can tell the car what song to play on a MP3 player. They’ll also be able to organize play lists and ask the car questions.

TALK is a Saarland University project funded by the European Union and aims to eventually do more than make glorified MP3 user interfaces.

The project aims to have humans interact naturally with cars and homes using speech and graphics in the future.

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