A new app from BMW is now making a debut at Microsoft Build 2016, Microsoft Corporation’s developer conference. From today onwards, the first version named “BMW Connected North America” and powered by Microsoft Azure is officially available on the App Store (iOS) to all ConnectedDrive customers in the US.
In short, the app integrates the vehicle and the consumer’s personal preferences into one. The app helps drivers plan their journeys to ensure punctuality, amongst one its key features. It provides estimated travel times in and outside the vehicle for routined or planned destinations. Based on traffic conditions, one will be notified when it’s time to depart for a journey via the iPhone or Apple Watch.
Apart from that, BMW Connected also learns typical travel times between frequent destinations, while notifications will be provided when trips will take longer than usual. Meanwhile, friends and family will also be notified of the user’s estimated arrival time from their smartphone or through a pre-formatted text message.
One can also search for points of interest or destinations on BMW Connected, a map app or similar apps. Calendar events with addresses are automatically imported, while authorised BMW centres, fuelling and charging stations and parking can all be found with just one click. Moreover, frequent and recent destinations can be learned and predicted later with travel times shown.
In-car navigation can be started by connecting a smartphone to a BMW or with the destination sent in advance. Interestingly, it also has a ‘last mile’ walking guidance from a parking spot to a final destination via smartphone. One can also lock the doors, flash the lights, sound the horn and start the air conditioning remotely. In BMW plug-in hybrid vehicles, one can check the charge and travel range of a car.
Powered by the Open Mobility Cloud by BMW, Azure and Azure services sits at the base of this tech. Open Mobility Cloud is an intelligent, continuously-learning platform. It is open to integrate any device or partner service that adds value to BMW customers, working to deliver contextual, personalised services whenever needed.
The service utilizes many Microsoft services, including HDInsight, Windows SQL, IoT Event Hubs, Machine Learning, Apps Insight and many others, which means it can be personalised further by frequent users.
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