BMW ConnectedDrive to Include Incoming E-Mail with Voice Input

The German carmaker announced today it will further expand its BMW ConnectedDrive, enabling e-mail messages to be received inside the vehicle through a Bluetooth connection. This means that owners of a BlackBerry smartphone made by the mobile phone manufacturer RIM (Research In Motion) will be able to access the phone's e-mail function via the operating system iDrive.

“The new facilities for e-mail access tie in directly from the BMW ConnectedDrive office functions presented at the beginning of the year. Likewise unique worldwide, these allow not just call and contact lists but also calendar entries, text messages, tasks and memos to be transferred from compatible smartphones to the vehicle via Bluetooth interface,” a company statement reads.

The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G is the first smartphone from the BlackBerry smartphone product range that supports this functionality.

E-mails will be received, displayed on the Control Display and even red out thanks to an optional voice output function. This will contribute to a minimum distraction from the road. It can be activated at a single press of a button, and the text of the e-mail is then red out loud.

“The relevant entries can be selected using the Controller of the iDrive operating system and shown on the Control Display. Even the picture file saved with a contact address on a mobile phone can be shown on the vehicle monitor. In addition, BMW ConnectedDrive also allows the music player functions of smartphones to be conveniently operated using the iDrive system,” BMW says in a statement.

The new e-mail function will become available in Europe and North America from autumn 2010 for all BMW models fitted with the navigation system Professional including mobile phone preparation.