The lovefest between smartphones and cars continues, with BMW announcing a hook-up with Research in Motion's BlackBerry that will allow e-mail messages to be displayed on an in-dash screen and heard. Starting this fall, drivers who own both the BlackBerry Pearl 3G and a BMW with the company's ConnectedDrive feature will be able to access e-mail via a Bluetooth connection using the vehicle's iDrive interface.
A text version of the e-mail will appear on the BMW's dash-mounted Control Display and also will be read aloud if the vehicle has an optional voice-output function. The feature will be available on all BMWs with the Professional in-dash navigation system and mobile phone preparation Bluetooth interface.
This comes as no great surprise, since BMW tipped its hand at the CTIA Wireless event last April. Judging from this YouTube video from CTIA, the e-mail text won't be available while the car is in gear -- which is a good thing -- and there's no way to reply to an e-mail as of yet.
ConnectedDrive already allows transfer of calendars, contacts, text messages, tasks and memos from a smartphone to the car, as well as an Internet-connected Google search capability. According to a BMW, adding the e-mail function for other smartphones beyond the BlackBerry Pearl 3G is being planned, and the video below shows it working with the iPhone.
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