BMW Releases Free M Power App for iPhone

The Apple iPhone has a built-in accelerometer that rather accurately detects even the slightest motions. Developers have been quick to create applications that capitalize on the iPhone's hardware, including software that helps enthusiasts obtain g-force and 0-60 times from their phone. We've tested a few ourselves and they work pretty well, although most of these apps come at a cost, ranging from $4.99 to $10 or more. If you like the idea of timing your vehicle with the aid of an iPhone but don't want to pay for an app, BMW has a free solution for you.

It's called the M Power Meter and does most things those paid apps can do, but it's free and also very easy to use. Simply download the software from the app store [iTunes link], place your phone upright in a cup holder or flat in the direction you intend to drive, hit start, accept the terms and go. The M Power Meter defaults to timing a jaunt from 0-50 km/h, but you can change that by clicking on settings and choosing from several acceleration options up to 200 km/h or distances ranging from 100 meters to 2,000 meters. We downloaded the M Power Meter app and found it worked fairly well for being free and nearly as good as those apps we spent a few bucks on in the past.

If you have an iPhone and a car, test it out for yourself (without breaking the law or doing anything that could endanger yourself or others, natch) and tell us how well it worked by heading over to the Comments section. It's free, so it couldn't hurt to give it a whirl.

Source:[Autoblog]

Will the Recession Change BMW for the Better? Perhaps.

Article by Car and Driver

BMW recently held a “One-Day University” program at its home base in New Jersey, intended, according to our hosts, “to begin a discussion” about the role of high-end automakers in the future of personal transportation. The six-session curriculum covered a range of hairy topics, not the least of which was the evident movement of well-heeled Americans away from conspicuous consumption to more restrained, reward-based purchasing habits.

The hour I found most interesting was entitled “What Consumers are Learning from the Recession and Consequences for Premium Products” (which I’m sure could be combined into one word in German), presented by Madelyn Hochstein, owner and president of the research firm DYG, Inc. Citing numerous social and consumer trend studies, Hochstein suggested that people are starting to take ownership of their circumstances (however bleak those may be), that they’re starting to cut back on superfluous financial expenditures, and that more and more rich people see themselves as—get this—“humble.” Also in the research was an alleged shift in the standard of success from “excess” to “ethics.” In other words, according to Hochstein, there is a “responsibility revolution” trending away from seeking “a life of riches” to “a richer life.”

So how might this responsibility revolution change the Ultimate Driving Machine? It’s tough to say definitively, since BMW people were not giving the seminar (they were actually among us in the audience). All I can infer is that we’ll see a whole lot more of this Efficient Dynamics stuff from the BMW brand, that Mini will keep kicking ass, and that the new $250K Rolls-Royce Ghost will far outsell the big, “phat” Phantom.

Source:[CarandDriver]