BMW Connected Drive?
Discussion
Just when i thought the days of M5 complication had gone, it appears some of these new fangled features may require some re educating on my part.
Can someone explain in a simple manner, what Connected Drive means & what real world features it provides?
I have the MyBMW Remote app & BMW Connected app on my iPhone 5 but have resisted opening them as my car's not here yet. I hear i should be able to access limited apps (Facebook & Twitter among a few) from the iDrive via Connected drive & i assume one of the apps i have installed?
What else does Connected Drive offer & is it really a gimmick? Never used to bother RTFM in previous cars but i feel i'm gonna be reading the F10 M5 one cover to cover & spending many hours in my garage setting the car up.
Can someone explain in a simple manner, what Connected Drive means & what real world features it provides?
I have the MyBMW Remote app & BMW Connected app on my iPhone 5 but have resisted opening them as my car's not here yet. I hear i should be able to access limited apps (Facebook & Twitter among a few) from the iDrive via Connected drive & i assume one of the apps i have installed?
What else does Connected Drive offer & is it really a gimmick? Never used to bother RTFM in previous cars but i feel i'm gonna be reading the F10 M5 one cover to cover & spending many hours in my garage setting the car up.
I had Connected Drive and also "application preparation" on my M3. I believe you need the app prep option to use the BMW apps, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, full iTunes album art, web radio etc. To be honest I didn't really use it!
With connected drive you get Google search, Google Local, news, weather and some other bits that may be boredom killers if you're waiting for the wife.
One application of Connected Drive I did find really good was I logged on here https://www.bmw-routes.com/uk/en/index.jsp on your PC and planned a European road trip and just sent it to the car sat nav. You can do the same from Google maps but it doesn't include way points, BMW routes does.
With connected drive you get Google search, Google Local, news, weather and some other bits that may be boredom killers if you're waiting for the wife.
One application of Connected Drive I did find really good was I logged on here https://www.bmw-routes.com/uk/en/index.jsp on your PC and planned a European road trip and just sent it to the car sat nav. You can do the same from Google maps but it doesn't include way points, BMW routes does.
Big E 118 said:
I had Connected Drive and also "application preparation" on my M3. I believe you need the app prep option to use the BMW apps, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, full iTunes album art, web radio etc. To be honest I didn't really use it!
With connected drive you get Google search, Google Local, news, weather and some other bits that may be boredom killers if you're waiting for the wife.
One application of Connected Drive I did find really good was I logged on here https://www.bmw-routes.com/uk/en/index.jsp on your PC and planned a European road trip and just sent it to the car sat nav. You can do the same from Google maps but it doesn't include way points, BMW routes does.
Thanks Big, that's handy to know.With connected drive you get Google search, Google Local, news, weather and some other bits that may be boredom killers if you're waiting for the wife.
One application of Connected Drive I did find really good was I logged on here https://www.bmw-routes.com/uk/en/index.jsp on your PC and planned a European road trip and just sent it to the car sat nav. You can do the same from Google maps but it doesn't include way points, BMW routes does.
I work in the Tech sector (Enterprise Software) so most gadgets really appeal to me, however i'm of that age now where i like my gadgets to be at home, in the office or travel with me & the car to be an escape from such things so i just want the basics such as music & phone (that's it). Never read a car owners manual in my life, however i feel the one for the new M5 will be the 1st.
I got my new 3 series this week, and I am trying to get my head around CONNECTED DRIVE. Seems like a lot of effort for not a lot of real benefit, so yes a gimmick for me. And you have to sign up, not as easy as it sounds ... first its a lease car so I don't have V5 and hence no VIm/VIN whatever. So I phone up, put info into website (that for some reason isn't an easy link off bmw.co.uk) ... and then get told they will contact me in a few days! After all that, I cant see that it is something that I will use.
johnzo said:
I got my new 3 series this week, and I am trying to get my head around CONNECTED DRIVE. Seems like a lot of effort for not a lot of real benefit, so yes a gimmick for me. And you have to sign up, not as easy as it sounds ... first its a lease car so I don't have V5 and hence no VIm/VIN whatever. So I phone up, put info into website (that for some reason isn't an easy link off bmw.co.uk) ... and then get told they will contact me in a few days! After all that, I cant see that it is something that I will use.
The VIN is printed at the base of the windscreen on the outside- its how the Police identify stolen cars that have had the plates changed.
Facebook & Twitter on the move, what a stroke of genius BMW (NOT).
It's kind of handy getting text messages displayed & i've finally worked out i can have Napster in the car via Connected Drive (whether i'll use it or not i don't know as i've about 40GB of music in the car on a 64GB Memory Stick. One thing that may also be useful in the same category as Napster is other apps under "Other Apps" as this includes Glympse (not sure what that really does yet) but of more interest is BMW M Lap Timer which when activated & on a known track, will provide some useful Telematics on your track performance (so i hear). Not tried it yet but i will
It's kind of handy getting text messages displayed & i've finally worked out i can have Napster in the car via Connected Drive (whether i'll use it or not i don't know as i've about 40GB of music in the car on a 64GB Memory Stick. One thing that may also be useful in the same category as Napster is other apps under "Other Apps" as this includes Glympse (not sure what that really does yet) but of more interest is BMW M Lap Timer which when activated & on a known track, will provide some useful Telematics on your track performance (so i hear). Not tried it yet but i will
Zyp said:
As for music, we've just got an iPod permanently connected under the armrest, don't need USB sticks or all that malarkey.
Was cheaper to buy a 64gb stick than a 64gb iPop & that would have still take up the USB socket to connect unless you've used Aux In? Also very easy to organise a USB stick & it still displays Album Covers & can store all compatible video too.I've not bothered (yet) copying any music onto the cars HDD. Any advantage in this as i've done it on previous cars but can't see the point now.
Just called BMW and ConnectedDrive with the Business package does the sum total of sweet FA in additions to the normal features. The emergency button and "tele-services" which is naff all.
So glad I took the time to "sign up" for it.
TBH I think BMW needs to be a lot clearer of this whole thing; it seems to just be a load of hollow marketing guff.
So glad I took the time to "sign up" for it.
TBH I think BMW needs to be a lot clearer of this whole thing; it seems to just be a load of hollow marketing guff.
W8PMC said:
but of more interest is BMW M Lap Timer which when activated & on a known track, will provide some useful Telematics on your track performance (so i hear). Not tried it yet but i will
It doesn't need to be a known track, it just needs telling where to start recording the lap. I did it at Silverstone and it's great. throttle, brake, steering angle, G sensor, speed/laptime etc. Shame there's no easy way to get it to output to anything but the app itself.jimmsy said:
It doesn't need to be a known track, it just needs telling where to start recording the lap. I did it at Silverstone and it's great. throttle, brake, steering angle, G sensor, speed/laptime etc. Shame there's no easy way to get it to output to anything but the app itself.
For some reason i thought it had some maps or known tracks within the app? Could be one of those things i thought i heard;) Does the App actually pull off correct telematic data from the cars ECU?W8PMC said:
Was cheaper to buy a 64gb stick than a 64gb iPop & that would have still take up the USB socket to connect unless you've used Aux In? Also very easy to organise a USB stick & it still displays Album Covers & can store all compatible video too.
I've not bothered (yet) copying any music onto the cars HDD. Any advantage in this as i've done it on previous cars but can't see the point now.
For some reason my house is awash with spare iPods of one kind or another, so it being in the car isn't a problem!I've not bothered (yet) copying any music onto the cars HDD. Any advantage in this as i've done it on previous cars but can't see the point now.
All our playlists are easily to hand (my idea of great music appears to be vastly different to the wife's) and the album artwork is nice to see.
I've also never copied any music to the HDD - you have to copy it in real time and besides, I don't think the cd slot has been used in two years either....
Overall, it's a vastly superior system to the bog standard Aux-in I have to use on the Porsche.
The main problems I have with using a USB stick for music as opposed to an iPod are :
1) Gapless playback. The iPod will do it no problem, playback from the USB stick and you get a short and annoying gap.
2) Resuming from where you left off is very hit and miss, sometimes it's fine, others it just starts playing the first track on the USB stick when you turn on the ignition, very irritating.
1) Gapless playback. The iPod will do it no problem, playback from the USB stick and you get a short and annoying gap.
2) Resuming from where you left off is very hit and miss, sometimes it's fine, others it just starts playing the first track on the USB stick when you turn on the ignition, very irritating.
W8PMC said:
Was cheaper to buy a 64gb stick than a 64gb iPop & that would have still take up the USB socket to connect unless you've used Aux In? Also very easy to organise a USB stick & it still displays Album Covers & can store all compatible video too.
I've not bothered (yet) copying any music onto the cars HDD. Any advantage in this as i've done it on previous cars but can't see the point now.
Memory stick seems like a good idea - does the i-drive replicate the folders and sub-folders used (i.e. folder = artist & sub-folder = albums of that artist)? Do you copy the art across from the itunes folder sonehow (or is there some other method) and store it in the same sub-folder as the album?I've not bothered (yet) copying any music onto the cars HDD. Any advantage in this as i've done it on previous cars but can't see the point now.
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