Mini Connected, iPhone porta la radio nella Mini Cooper

I saloni dell'auto di Ginevra e New York (è in corso in questi giorni) e prima ancora il CES di Las Vegas hanno proposto diversi annunci relativi a soluzioni per la cosiddetta connected car. Tra le novità più interessanti c'è quella proposta da BMW che si è accordata con Radio Time, uno dei più popolari servizi di directory per Web radio, per montare a bordo della Mini Cooper il nuovo Mini Connected, una piattaforma di car entertainment che integra - l'avete indovinato - Apple iPhone e che grazie a Radio Time consente di sintonizzarsi su migliaia di stazioni radio via Internet. BMW sembra essere riuscita a battere Blaupunkt e un servizio di directory australiano MiRoamer sul terreno delle Web radio per auto.

Quella della automobile interconnessa è una metafora inevitabile per molte ragioni. Dentro alle automobili trascorriamo parecchio del nostro tempo libero e di lavoro e visto che ormai nel corso del nostro tempo libero e di lavoro siamo abituati a disporre di ogni sorta di modalità di collegamento senza-fili, su scala locale e "geografica", non si vede perché tutta questa nuvola di connettività wireless non debba circondarci anche mentre guidiamo o veniamo trasportati a bordo di un veicolo su ruote (così come su treni e aerei). Connected car signfica essenzialmente due cose. All'interno dell'abitacolo, connessioni bluetooth e Wi-Fi per usufruire di servizi multimediali, di comunicazione e navigazione. Fuori dall'abitacolo, il wireless diventa un modo per assicurare, anche alla mobilità "su gomma", la possibilità di accedere a Internet e alle sue meraviglie. Scegliete voi con quale mezzo: oggi la connessione wireless geografica per le auto può essere garantita con la copertura cellulare 3G, domani sarà la volta di LTE (se WiMax finirà davvero, come sostengono alcuni, per morire sul nascere). Anche al volante, in definitiva, Internet ci scombinerà tutte le carte. Finora il telefonino serviva per comunicare e la radio per divertirsi, informarsi, ascoltare musica. Adesso che cosa succederà? Che ruolo potrebbero avere sistemi come la radio FM, o le sue evoluzioni digitali terrestri o satellitari?

Recentemente ho ricevuto un commento sferzante per aver osato affermare il mio scetticismo nei confronti delle onde corte digitali del sistema Digital Radio Mondiale. Un lettore anonimo ha scritto che i miei sono "latrati", ripetitivi e noiosi. Non ho difficoltà ad ammetterlo: non mi stancherò mai di ripetere che il mercato della car radio deve imparare a fare i conti con tutte le piattaforme alternative alla tradizionale accoppiata AM/FM (l'AM in realtà è già sparita dal radar) e che tra queste alternative la piattaforma dominante non è la radio digitale ma Internet.

Ecco un interessante reportage su Mini Connect dal blog Edmunds.com e il comunicato stampa ufficiale.

Car Tech Tuesdays: MINI Connected for iPhone to Debut in Geneva

A new feature called MINI Connected will debut at the Geneva auto show next week on the new Countryman, and the automaker is calling it the "world's-first in-car entertainment technology" to fully integrate Apple's iPhone. While this statement seems a bit brash but fitting with the brand's style, it's what's hinted at in the automaker's press release that sounds most promising.

The press release (below) is long on intriguing features but short on specifics. It states that the iPhone's data connection will be used to provide "a range of infotainment, navigation and communication functions" and MINI Connected will allow "functions to be enhanced or personalized."

The technology will also be "future-adaptable" and customizable, allowing applications to be added and deleted. An Internet-radio feature offering a selection of streaming stations is also included.

MINI Connected will be controlled through the automaker's existing in-dash interface. And when combined with the optional MINI Visual Boost radio, functions can be viewed on a high-res color display integrated in the car's Center Speedo, with a console mounted joystick providing inputs.

MINI Connected will also incorporate the new Mission Control module, which can be used to evaluate vehicle systems, driving situations and the environment to give a driver information in MINI's trademark cheeky style. Messages will range from seat belt prompts to fuel level.

If MINI decides to follow Ford's lead and allows third-party developers to create apps, MINI Connected could really get interesting. Just imagine having Ricky Gervais telling you to fasten your seat belts, the outside temperature or the location of the nearest loo.

All-new Connectivity Solution, MINI Connected, Offers More Motoring Enjoyment.

22.02.2010

• World-first in-car entertainment technology integrates the Apple iPhone.

• Safe, convenient, intuitive control of all functions via the MINI operating system.

• World debut of in-car web radio.

• MINI Connected brings enhanced user functionality and customization to the MINI-exclusive, Mission Control.

Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey - February 22, 2010... MINI Connected, a new technology unique to MINI, opens up a new dimension of in-car entertainment. The new system will make its debut at the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show next week.

MINI Connected.

MINI Connected offers new options to further enhance the driving fun associated with the brand by intelligently connecting the driver, his MINI and the outside world. The new MINI Connected system will be launched simultaneously with the MINI Countryman, as an option on the newest member of the MINI brand lineup.

With MINI Connected, MINI is the first carmaker to offer a newly developed USB interface with functionality that enables such a high level of integration of the iPhone into the in-car audio and infotainment system. This MINI-exclusive technology provides the basis for unprecedented integration of Smartphone functions, and takes the in-car integration of modern Smartphone telecommunications, entertainment and online functions to a whole new level.

The innovative iPhone interface provides robust data exchange capabilities, allowing a range of infotainment, navigation and communication functions to be used on board the vehicle. MINI Connected also allows functions to be enhanced or personalized to the driver's individual preferences.

MINI Connected offers diversity and flexibility across a host of different functions, something new to the auto industry. The technology is future-adaptable, and will guarantee customers instant access to future innovations in the fields of entertainment, communication, navigation and information.

All of the functions integrated through MINI Connected, courtesy of the Apple iPhone, are activated and controlled using the vehicle's existing operating system. When the system is fitted with the optional MINI Visual Boost radio, the full range of MINI Connected functions can be used. The radio's high-resolution color display is integrated in the Center Speedo, and the center console-mounted MINI joystick provides convenient, simple and intuitive operation.

The existing MINI operating structure allows drivers to select and activate any function with minimal distraction from the road, so the MINI Connected information and instructions follow the MINI's familiar display logic. The system can easily be customized; applications can be selected or deselected quickly and conveniently using the vehicle controls.

World-first: the MINI Connected web radio function.

As an example of the new possibilities opened up by MINI Connected, the new web radio function will be demonstrated during the Geneva Auto Show. Once a MINI is linked to the outside world via MINI Connected, the driver has a choice of radio stations streamed to the vehicle from anywhere in the world, provided the station is available in the extensive station database. MINI is the world's first carmaker to offer this type of function as a manufacturer-installed option on a production vehicle.

Exclusive to MINI: Mission Control.

MINI Connected also incorporates the Mission Control module, which made its debut in the MINI 50 Camden anniversary model. Mission Control evaluates a vast range of vehicle information, driving situations and vehicle environment-related signals to supply the driver with relevant commentary and instructions in customary MINI style. Mission Control gives the driver an even stronger sense of interacting directly with the vehicle, reinforcing the whole concept of the MINI as a car with character and personality.

The vehicle-related signals are used to generate constantly changing, situation-dependent messages. The dialogue may take the form of safety and comfort-related advice, such as prompts to fasten a seatbelt or guidance on the air conditioning system; or it may provide information relating to the current driving situation and operating status (for example, outside temperatures or fuel tank level). The wide repertoire of messages, which marks a significant advance over previous systems, makes for a continually varied dialogue between the MINI and its driver, even in familiar and frequently recurring everyday driving situations. And thanks to MINI Connected, Mission Control now offers extensive functional enhancement and personalization options, such as a choice of language versions and driving modes.