BMW - page 2

Sorry, Google, BMW already owns ‘Alphabet’ and they don’t want to sell

By

sorry-google-bmw-already-owns-alphabet-and-they-dont-want-to-sell-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201508alphabet1-jpg
Why didn't they just...Google it?  Photo: Alphabet/Google
Why didn’t they just…Google it?
Photo: Alphabet/Google

When Google reorganized itself into a subsidiary of a new over-arching company, Alphabet, you’d think that they’d have checked to see if anyone else was doing a similar business with the name.

In fact, BMW also does business as Alphabet, and they own the trademark and the .com URL to boot.

BMW makes cars, and Google is working on a self-driving car. That seems like possible grounds for a trademark infringement suit, right?

BMW would be open to working with Apple on a car project

By

BMW
Available in iPod white?
Photo: BMW

BMW would be open to collaborating with Apple to build a next-generation car, according to the company’s production chief, Oliver Zipse.

Speaking earlier today in Frankfurt, Zipse noted that “We live in a world of partnerships,” and that an Apple (or even Google) car wouldn’t be out of the question for BMW.

Apple car project is ‘good news’ for Nissan, says CEO

By

We'd like to buy this directly from Apple, OK?
Concept art: Josh Baré/DeviantArt CC
Photo: Josh Baré/DeviantArt CC

Apple’s secret electric car project has been met with heavy skepticism from some of the biggest players in the auto industry, but according to Nissan’s CEO, he sees Apple entering the market as a good thing.

During a presentation at the Mobile World Congress on Monday, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan-Renault Alliance said he welcomes the idea of outside companies getting into the electric car business.

Toyota vehicles won’t support CarPlay anytime soon

By

Don't expect pure CarPlay in Ford vehicles anytime soon. Photo: Apple
CarPlay isn't coming to Toyota after all. Photo: Apple

Toyota was one of the first car manufacturers to announce it would support CarPlay, but the company is pulling back on its plans to embrace Apple’s car infotainment system. Despite still being listed among Apple’s CarPlay partners, Toyota says it’s sticking with its own Entune systems.

The company says that while it has talked frequently to both Apple and Google about CarPlay and Android Auto, it has no plans to bring the technologies to its cars in the United States anytime soon. Toyota’s manager of advanced technology communications, John Hanson, told the New York Times, “We may all eventually wind up there, but right now we prefer to use our in-house proprietary platforms for those kinds of functions,” Mr. Hanson said.

While Toyota’s not so hot on CarPlay, other manufacturers like Ford, BMW, Volkswagon, and GM are more bullish on Apple’s car offerings. Here’s a full breakdown of which service auto makers currently support:

Apple car? Cupertino’s got the design talent to transform another industry

By

BMW_Gina_concept_car
One of the designers in Apple's Industrial Design Group helped create this shape-shifting fabric-covered car for BMW. Photo: BMW

As rumors that Apple is making a self-driving car rev up, a peek under the hood of the company’s famed Industrial Design studio reveals a crew of talented automobile designers.

An interest in futuristic cars is embedded deep within the DNA of Apple’s vaunted design team. Working under Jony Ive, Apple employs designers who worked on several fantastic concept cars, including a fabric-covered BMW that shifts shape depending on speed.

Ive has long been obsessed by cars. (He has quite a stable.) As a teenager, Ive wanted to be a car designer. He visited a U.K. design school that specialized in automotives with a view to studying there, but he found the other students too weird. They were making “vroom vroom” noises as they sketched. Instead, he went to Newcastle Polytechnic (which has since been renamed Northumbria University).

A look at other key members of Apple’s design team, and at a super-secret research-and-development facility planned for the company’s new campus, offers a few clues about how Cupertino might go about producing innovative and unconventional cars.

Michael Bay Bails Plus The Best And Worst Tech Of CES 2014 On The CultCast

By

cultcast-mac-pro-header2

This time on The CultCast: we’re live from Las Vegas and ready to report the best and worst tech from the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show! We’ll call out some of our favorite Apple accessories too, and some will surprise you. Plus, did you hear about the Michael Bay meltdown at the Samsung keynote? Well we were in the room when things got weird… let us regale you with the whole story.

Thanks to FreshBooks for supporting this episode! FreshBooks is the simple cloud accounting solution that’s helping thousands of new entrepreneurs and small business owners save time billing and get paid faster. Sign up free today.

Enjoy a few laughs whilst getting caught up on each week’s best Apple stories! Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the audio adventure begin.


BMWs, Minis Get Glympse One-Touch Location-Broadcast Feature

By

post-221565-image-0dc887d17860181128368f6fd762f5b6-jpg

 

Glympse is a clever — and potentially lifesaving — feature that we’d love to see in more smartphone-connected cars.

It started out as a free app that can broadcast the user’s location to selected contacts, Facebook friends or Twitter followers. But it’s become a valuable tool for drivers of smartphone-connected Fords and Merecedes-Benzes, allowing them to broadcast their location without taking their hands off the steering wheel.

Now BMW and Mini have partnered with Glympse, raising the marque total to four.

BMW Wants To Copy Apple And Put A Genius Bar In Every Dealership

By

bmwgeniusbar

 

Apple’s retail operations were mocked by everyone on the planet when the first Apple Store was opened. But now that the Apple Store is the most profitable retail store in the world, everyone wants to copy what Apple’s doing.

Thanks to some inspiration from the Apple Store, BMW has decided that starting in 2014 they will require all dealers to hire young tech-savvy employees to handle questions from customers about the vehicles on the showroom floor. They’ll even be equipped with iPads and be called Geniuses.

Hyundai’s Upcoming Vehicles Will Integrate Siri Eyes Free Technology [CES 2013]

By

Siri-Eyes-Free

Hyundai is set to showcase a number of new vehicles at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, and the company has announced that they’ll all include Siri Eyes Free technology. The feature allows iPhone owners to perform a whole host of tasks using the intelligent assistant — such as taking calls or creating Reminders — without taking their hands off the wheel.

GM Announces New Chevy Lineup Will Be First To Feature ‘Eyes Free’ Siri Integration

By

GM finally makes it safe to use Siri at the wheel.
GM finally makes it safe to use Siri at the wheel.

General Motors has announced that its upcoming Chevrolets will be the world’s first cars to offer “Eyes Free” Siri integration, allowing drivers to use the voice control capabilities of their iPhone without taking their hands off the wheel. The feature will be integrated into GM’s MyLink infotainment system.

BMW: Apple Made White Cars Cool

By

BMW
If it weren't for Apple, this car would probably look awful to you.
Photo: BMW

Steve Jobs never got the chance to build the car of his dreams, but he has still had a huge affect on the car industry. Why? Because he made white cool. Before Apple began making white computers and accessories, white was a color only associated with boring products like refrigerators — and nobody dreamed of owning a white car. Now it’s the most popular car color in America.

Check Out This Cool Demo of BMW Apps and iDrive [Video]

By

post-92405-image-f8d9c4c0d18a8ea600019f08e9ae7d30-jpg

Car manufacturers are finally developing better ways to hook your iPhone into your car.

Check out this video demo showing how BMW is integrating the iPhone into car entertainment systems.

Patched in through BMW’s iDrive system, the iPhone can can be used to play music, web radio, or send updates and messages to Facebook and Twitter.

“This suite of technologies allows smartphone features — the things people really love on their smartphone — to be integrated in a safe, easy-to-use way in your BMW,” says BMW Technology Group senior engineer Rob Passaro in the video.

“The great thing about this is, as Apple updates new features on its iPod, we get it automatically. You don’t have to go to the dealership to get these functions in your car as soon as they are available.”

Check it out: