Re:GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto beca...
by msh on Wednesday December 13, 2023 @01:04AM
(#38623294)
It would be useless to me personally.
I hate radio. I don’t listen to much music. When driving I mostly listen to podcasts and audiobooks which sounds like is not really practically possible.
Re:GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto beca...
by mulmen on Wednesday December 13, 2023 @01:13AM
(#38623350)
It has an aux cord so you can plug in a cell phone. Or you can use a USB drive to transfer files to the internal hard drive. The lack of Bluetooth Audio is the greatest flaw of the system.
It does have a "cradle" in the center console to connect a phone, I believe audio is supported by that. Unfortunately it requires an adapter and 2010 was the era of phone minification so there's not physically room for modern mega-phones to fit between the cradle headers, even if BMW kept up with adapters. There's also an iPod adapter but it uses the 30-pin plug. I haven't tried plugging in a regular 30-pin to USB A plug to the console USB port, that might work as well.
The navigation functionality is far superior to anything else I have seen.
Navigation is easily controlled with the iDrive knob. Previous destinations are sorted in reverse chronological order. New destinations are easy to enter. Adding destinations works as expected (insert/append). When the fuel gauge reaches 1/8 of a tank the car prompts to add a gas station on the route which can be accepted with a single button press of the main iDrive knob. When a trip is in progress I can search on the route by category for points of interest like rest stops. It picks up traffic information over AM radio and uses that information when routing.
Similarly pleasant experience when operating the radio/built in mp3 player. Everything can be done with iDrive but there are also dedicated buttons on the steering wheel and dashboard.
Climate control is managed by physical knobs.
Bluetooth calling is supported but Bluetooth audio (music) is not.
Overall an excellent experience. It's obviously dated and a little slow but completely serviceable even today. The system is completely self-contained so it does need map updates from time to time. OTA updates, even on wifi would be nice.
From a design perspective I have no complaints at all, it is well integrated with the car and otherwise stays out of the way. A helpful tool.