BMW adds iDrive Touch and 3D maps to most recent generation infotainment program [w/ online video ]

BMW claims to have been the first carmaker to supply an in-dash navigation process all the way back in 1994 on its seven Sequence. It was also arguably the very first automaker to encounter the backlash that will come with bad user interface style and design when it launched the iDrive system in 2001. Nav devices today have trickled down to vehicles costing a fraction of the seven Sequence these times, and iDrive has matured to turn out to be a competitive infotainment system amongst the luxurious set. This week, BMW is unveiling the newest era of its infotainment platform that involves so a lot much more than just navigation and a clever learn knob to control to it all.



Named BMW ConnectedDrive, the new process is marked by two large advancements. The initial are new graphics for the entire method that feature black backgrounds and atmospheric lighting results, as effectively as a new view solution for maps termed "3D City Types " for decide on areas.

The second improvement is the introduction of iDrive Touch, which is a touchpad interface like people very first utilized on some Audi models which is embedded on the best of BMW's common iDrive rotary knob controller. Measuring 45mm in diameter, the touchpad can be utilized not only for inputting characters, but also features a pinch-to-zoom purpose when viewing maps and will shortly have the potential to management a cursor when BMW tends to make a browser functionality readily available. iDrive Touch will start this thirty day period in China, in which the input's gesture management approach functions especially very well with that language's 1000's of characters, and then go on to surface in all other markets a 12 months later.