Less than a month after BMW confirmed that technology that can ‘read’ speed limit signs had finally been approved for use locally, the German car maker has announced another technology first for Australia: in-car web browsing and email.
Both technologies should be available here by the end of the year.
The new generation BMW 7 Series limousine has been available with the option of web browsing and email access since it went on sale almost two years ago. But BMW has waited until now to launch it locally, after tests confirmed coverage and range.
Internet can be viewed on the car’s built-in TV and navigation screen in the centre of the dashboard. It also has voiced-activated email – which can dictate or read aloud messages. Both systems are programmed to work only when the car is stopped.
The technology raises new questions about distractions in cars, but BMW says it will never take control away from the driver. “These are primarily a convenience function for executives who are on the road and need quick internet access,” a spokesman for BMW said. “Rather than use a phone or switch on the computer, they can access information quicker by parking the car and using the on-board web browser.”
It is one of many of the new BMW 7 Series’s tricks; instead of a 300-page owner’s manual, the entire volume has been stored in the car’s hard-drive and can be viewed on the TV screen – providing of course you don’t need the owner’s manual to find where it is on the car’s system…
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