BMW has been among the leaders in high-tech car innovation, occasionally even jumping too far ahead of what its older customers preferred to use.
So it should be no surprise that the German carmaker wants to lure in potential customers with another cool high-tech tool.
The BMW Product Navigator, which employs Microsoft's Surface computer, lets potential customers hand-pick options, then see a computer-generated video of their future car in action.
By placing mini discs on the computer table, customers at dealerships can add features like wheels in designing their customized BMW. Users can also use Microsoft's multitouch Surface gestures to rotate, move, and enlarge on-screen images.
Instead of showing the usual computer-generated image of a customized car, the program produces a video. The video, which is shown to users on a separate computer screen hung on a wall, shows the customer how their car will look from the inside and outside while being driven.
The results of each configuration a customer comes up with can then be printed, e-mailed, or saved to a USB drive to take home.
BMW has posted a video (above) on BMW-web.tv Web site and YouTube of Franz Wimmer, innovation manager at BMW Group, demonstrating how the Surface device works.
Don't go running out to your nearest BMW dealership just yet to check the technology out. The company has not yet specified when the BMW Product Navigator kiosks will be widely available.
Microsoft released the latest version of its robot-building platform for professionals and hobbyists of the Lego Mindstorms AlphaRex level.
(Credit: Lego)Microsoft released the latest revision of its robotics development software platform at the RoboDevelopment Conference and Expo in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday.
Robotics Developer Studio 2008 is intended to satisfy the gamut of roboticists from hobbyists looking to program things like the iRobot Create to professionals developing commercial robots for sale.
As such, there are three versions of the software: Express, Standard, and Academic.
The Standard version for professionals will be available for $499.95, with the Express hobbyist version offered as a free download. (Pricing for an Academic license was not disclosed.)
This latest version of the software platform offers increased runtime performance, including faster load times and increased throughput.
The platform's Visual Programming Language tool, Microsoft's drag-and-drop authoring tool, has been updated for greater ease of use when working with distributed applications, according to Microsoft.
Simulations can now be recorded and played back using the Visual Simulation Environment tool to see what things might go wrong before testing applications out on hardware.
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We've all heard the recommendations by now.
Proper tire pressure, removing the roof rack, closing windows above 50 mph, and using a car's air flow system before going straight for the AC can all lead to lowering a car's overall fuel consumption.
But exactly how bad are drivers when it comes to abruptly starting and stopping? And are they really shifting their manual transmission car correctly for optimizing fuel?
Fiat's new optional Eco Drive software will let its drivers know, the company announced earlier this month at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
All Fiat drivers need is a USB drive and Microsoft's Blue&Me system.
Blue&Me is an onboard computer system currently offered in some Fiats and Alfa Romeos, and possibly soon, in Ford cars, as well. It enables drivers to listen to their MP3 player, make calls on their cell phone, and have text messages read aloud to them. The system includes a USB port, which Fiat has announced could be the key to a 15 percent reduction in a car's CO2 emissions.
Drivers can download the free Eco Drive software from the Internet to their computer and plug in any normal USB drive. Drivers then plug the prepped USB drive into their car's Blue&Me system and it will automatically start collecting data on the car.
The program will measure a driver's fuel consumption, speed, braking style, and even how efficiently he or she shifts gears with their manual transmission. It seems very similar in functionality to the PLX Kiwi from PLX Devices that plugs in to a car's diagnostics port.
Upon plugging the USB drive back into the computer, the software does an analysis of driving habits and makes specific suggestions for improvement. Users can also opt to join an online community of drivers called Fiat ecoVille.
The new software ties in to a campaign Fiat already has in play giving tips on saving fuel. While the bias is toward the Fiat car, the tips are useful for any driver.
For those non-Fiat drivers interested in collecting this type of data, there's always the PLX Kiwi or the Scan Gauge II.
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