Microsoft’s Surface technology has many uses, but one interesting way to use it is how it is being used by BMW. Here is a video that shows you how rich slobs can explore BMW cars with just their delicate and un-calloused fingers
“The Ultimate Driving Machine” being optimized with “BMW Product Navigator”. The touch screen system lets snooty BMW buyers configure their new car in a whole new interactive way. The exteriors and the interiors can be reviewed even before the car is purchased. That includes the color of the car.
The Richy Riches of the word can now feel like a Sci-Fi star. Consider it sort of a Build Your Own Penis Substitute system. Very fitting that a mid-life crisis should require a man to use touch in order to compensate for his own shortcomings, where touch has also been a factor most of his life.
[Carscoop]
Written by Conner Flynn on November 30th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on BMW and Car and Microsoft and Surface Computing and design and surface.
Yesterday we told you about Marty Mcfly’s jacket showing up on ebay. Well, remember Griff Tannen’s hover BMW from the second installment of the futuristic trilogy? Jeff Chabotte never forgot. He tracked down the original movie car, bought it and gave it a complete restoration. Sadly there wasn’t a thing he could do about it’s ability to fly. Chabotte spent a lot of time and money on the project, not to mention the usual blood, sweat and tears. Yep. He loves BTTF and it’s cars just that much. The end result should probably be in a Movie memorabilia museum somewhere. Click the link for a ton of pics.
[Jalopnik]
Written by Conner Flynn on October 23rd, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on BMW and BTTF and Back To The Future 2 and Car and Griff Tannen and automotive and hover and marty mcfly.
Smart devices are all the rage, we have smart phones, smart cards and the like, why can’t we have smart keys? At some point in the future, smart keys that allow users to do much more than start their car and operate the alarm may be the norm. Naturally, the technology will first be seen on a luxury car.
NXP Semiconductors and BMW are teaming up to bring smart key technology to car buyers. The key prototype contains a contactless payment system along with personalized access control and other advanced functionalities.
One of the advanced functions the key could perform is to act at a public transportation e-ticketing device. The smart key is powered by NXP’s SmartMX security chip. Using the key consumers could pay for services when shopping or buying gas, the key is basically a personal credit card. The downside I see is that if you lose your keys, you lose your credit card. Double suck.
NXP
Written by Shane McGlaun on October 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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BMW and NXP Semiconducters have announced what they’re calling the world’s first multi-functional car key. Currently in prototype form, the key features contactless payment, personalized access control and public transport e-ticketing for when you’ve left your 7-Series in the parking lot. Future functionality could include general shopping, paying for gas, parking fees and road tolls. Using the same credit-card form-factor as other contactless car keys, the BMW prototype aims to replace not only your keys but your cash.
The system is based on NXP Semiconducters’ SmartMX P5CD081 series wireless chipset, which has smaller antennas than rivals meaning the overall card can be smaller. It’s compatible with the EMV (Europay-Mastercard-VISA) standard and can use a variety of encryption standards. In addition, voltage, frequency, temperature and light sensors can monitor whether the card has been physically tampered with.
In BMW’s application, the card will be able not only to unlock the car but also call up personalized settings. This could range from seat position to radio presets, GPS data and anything else under the remit of BMW’s iDrive in-car computer system. It can also be programmed to temporarily open other vehicles, such as hire cars or replacement vehicles during servicing and/or repairs, or even shared cars, and BMW intend to use it in the future to deliver more personalized services.
Press Release:
The World’s First ‘Smart’ Car Key Prototype
Secure Contactless Payments Based on NXP’s SmartMX Chipset
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands –(Business Wire)– Oct 21, 2008 BMW Group Research and Technology and NXP Semiconductors, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, have unveiled a prototype of the world’s first multifunctional car key. The prototype features contactless payment, personalized access control, and advanced functionalities including public transport e-ticketing, to deliver an enhanced mobility experience. Powered by NXP’s SmartMX security chip, the prototype – for the first time – allows drivers to perform quick, secure and convenient electronic payments with a car key, creating exciting new usage scenarios for future consumers.
In the future, car owners may benefit from the ease-of-use of contactless payments for ad-hoc transactions including general shopping, paying for your petrol, public transport, parking and road tolls, replacing the need for cash or additional cards. NXP will demonstrate the car key prototype at its booth during the CARTES & IDentification show in Paris from 4th to 6th November 2008.
By turning the car key into a personalized credit card, many additional mobility scenarios become possible. The future consumers will be able to securely gain access to personal data and be authorized for personalized in-vehicle online services in any BMW vehicle that they own or drive. The personal credit card key may also be temporarily registered with other cars. Renting or sharing cars becomes very convenient, even more as personalized authorizations and service settings can be automatically activated in these vehicles. Moreover, when public transport tickets are loaded to the personal key, this device becomes a companion for seamless mobility.
“With the concept of integrating contactless payment functionality in a car key, we are working on the combination of automotive technology and lifestyle,” said Prof. Raymond Freymann, managing director of BMW Group Research and Technology. “In cooperation with NXP we are doing research in enhancing the capabilities of the car key into one smart device for access, payment, and services that will simplify the lives of BMW car drivers in future. It will help us to stay in touch with our drivers directly and deliver a complete range of mobility-enhancing services.”
“Together with BMW, we are underlining our global leadership in remote key-less vehicle ‘entry and go’ and contactless identification, by delivering a compelling contactless application that will continue to drive innovations in smart card banking and the automotive industry,” said Marc de Jong, executive vice president, business unit automotive and identification, NXP Semiconductors. “The transformation of a car key into a credit card goes beyond the limitation of traditional payment possibilities and is a natural evolution to improve car owners’ payment experiences. Innovative smart card solutions from NXP provide the security, the flexibility and the performance to support the growing industry demand for different form factors in payment applications, such as car keys, key fobs, watches or Near Field Communication-enabled mobile phones, to enhance the lifestyles of consumers.”
Featuring smaller antennas than standard smart cards, NXP’s SmartMX P5CD081 series is an ideal solution for integration into a broad range of different form factors. The integrated dual-interface chip, which will be EMV compliant and Common Criteria EAL 5+ certified by the German Federal Office of Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik), ensures that the credit card application complies with the highest security requirements.
About NXP Semiconductors
NXP is a leading semiconductor company founded by Philips more than 50 years ago. Headquartered in Europe, the company has about 33,500 employees working in more than 20 countries and posted sales of USD 6.3 billion (including the Mobile & Personal business) in 2007. NXP creates semiconductors, system solutions and software that deliver better sensory experiences in TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, mobile phones, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices. News from NXP is located at www.nxp.com.
About BMW Group Research and Technology
BMW Group Research and Technology (BMW Group Forschung und Technik GmbH) is a 100% subsidiary of BMW AG and is in charge of the following research topics at the BMW Group since 2003: Vehicle Technology, CleanEnergy (hydrogen technology), EfficientDynamics (intelligent energy management/alternative drivetrains), ConnectedDrive (driver assistance/active safety systems) and ITDrive (IT-architecture and communication technology). Being a limited company, legal autonomy from the BMW Group allows a maximum of creativity and flexibility. An internationally established network, with Technical Offices in the USA (Palo Alto, CA and Clemson, SC) and Japan (Tokyo) as well as Liaison Offices in France (Eurécom in Sophia Antipolis) and in Germany (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, DFKI GmbH in Saarbrücken) ensures global access to trends and technologies.
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
Written by Chris Davies on October 21st, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on BMW and Cars and Wireless and archive and prototypes.
Meet the Nokia BMW Video Phone. Take one look and it’s obviously the BMW of cellphones right? A thing of beauty. It’s what you get when you combine the ultimate driving machine with the ultimate video mobile phone.
The Nokia BMW mobile phone has an interesting standout feature called “push to open” which is a mechanism that rotates 90 degrees. Push the button and your phone is a handy-cam. We’re thinking they should get on this one real quick, but experience tells us that they’ll take their own sweet time and let someone else beat them to it. Someone like Sony for instance.
[Coroflot]
Written by Conner Flynn on September 11th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on BMW and Concept and Nokia and design and handy-cam and phone and push to open and video.
Designer Jai Ho Yoo and Lukas VanekHere, 3rd year students of Transportation Design School at Turin Based IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) have come up with another cool futuristic car concept this time the BMW ZX-6. Boasting slide-out doors, glass panels, and a sleek frame the concept is focused keeping in mind the modern needs, tastes and life style of an individual. Hopefully the car will come into production soon! [CarBodyDesign]
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Written by Isaiah on August 10th, 2008 with no comments.
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BMW has officially announced the availability of its 2009 335d model in the US, a new-generation of clean diesels that will be sold in all 50 states. It uses a twin-turbocharged, direct-injection 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder that makes 265 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque. The 335d accelerates from zero to 60 in less than 6.2 seconds and returns EPA city/highway fuel economy of 23/33 mpg. The production of this car will begin in September with sales to start in November. [Autoblog]
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Written by Isaiah on August 7th, 2008 with no comments.
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Displaying above is one of twelve BMW concepts of 2015 designed by students of transportation design at Turin-based IED (Instituto Europeo di Design) in collaboration with BMW. The physical designs revolve around functionalities that may arise in 2015. The BMW already have plans for these 12 concepts. There will 8 concepts to be developed in 1:4 smaller models, the remaining 4 will be turned into virtual models. [CarBodyDesign]
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Written by Stephen on July 27th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on BMW and Concept and Transportation and car of 2015.
