BMW is preparing to launch a new mobile app designed to help drivers get where they’re going on time, with the help of sophisticated new technologies.
Called BMW Connected, the app automatically looks up any mobile data related to a driver’s trip, such as addresses and appointments in the user’s iPhone calendar. Then it advises the driver on what time to leave, based on current traffic information, and it integrates with the in-car navigation system once the user gets behind the wheel. Even after the car trip is over, the app can continue to guide the user to her destination on foot.
The app will initially launch exclusively for the iPhone this month, but will soon arrive on the Apple Watch too. And BMW says that later this year users will be able to access BMW Connected via the Amazon Echo, with BMW Connected being a new ‘skill’ for Amazon’s Alexa AI assistant to learn, allowing users to perform actions like locking car doors just by speaking the commands to an Alexa device.
The deepening connections between the car app and mobile and smart home devices points to the emerging trend of the connected car, with numerous auto makers exploring how they can integrate future smart cars into the emerging Internet of Things.
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