Google MAP for BMW Nav

[Randy]

check this out and yesterday Straits Times on the new feature of Goole with BMW Nav Navigation systems have revolutionized the way we get from A to B -- a huge step up from crusty fold-out maps and a "good sense of direction." It's going to get even better now that Google Maps and BMW have joined forces to streamline the data entry process. Instead of printing out or writing down an address to re-enter in the car, the information is sent directly from your computer to your navigation system. German drivers with Drive Assist-equipped BMWs can send any Google Maps Deutschland business listing straight to their cars, either to contact the business once inside, or to set it as a destination. Honestly, it's about friggin' time online maps and automakers made this connection, and we're glad that Google appears ready and eager to expand this service. Check out the video of how it works after the jump. http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/08/germans-send-data-straight-from-google-maps-to-bmws/

 

[Randy]

Check this out too on the web

Google Maps + BMW

This is pretty cool. Chris Hofmann sent me this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgTx9nUJfOc
Although I am not sure if this is an actually product yet, but it shows a BMW owner using Google Maps (in Firefox, of course) to find an address. On the maps site, there is an option to "send the address to car". Magically, the address shows up in his BMW's nav system. Neat, huh?
It underlines a critical problem we all have now -- information that we need and have access to is usually isolated on our laptops or desktops. Once we walk away, we are hopelessly lost. A simple thing like driving directions which is so easy to acquire now (anyone remember Thomas Guide?) must be printed out, or written down. And trying to input this into your phone while you are on the go just plain sucks. So marshaling the data to the right place at the right time without much user trouble is ideal here.
I do like what Google and BMW are doing here. However, I terribly dislike how propriety this is. I mean, everyone knows that google is the king of online maps and search, but why can't I simply push map routes from any source to my GPS Nav System? The nav system should be addressable via the internet (via a cell GRPS connect or something similar). Firefox should detect that maps site has a microformat related to the route, and the user should be prompted if the would like to send this data to their {gps, phone, etc}. Everything clean and open.
I wonder if bringing an open system to market is harder than bringing a close system.
Maybe the right device for driving directions is the car's nav system. It certainly isn't the only device though; how many meeting have you gone to across town only to find out that you need to reference the suite number, floor number, or other location specific data? So, maybe both your nav system and your phone/pda are the right places.
More on this soon.