Hear some rumors that bluetooth may be coming to the MINI. Not sure how it would work, but Im sure it will be cool. This is such a techie car!

 

bluetooth?????

 

And a Bluetooth is?? :???:

 

Bluetooth is a wireless protocol developed by IBM. (I think) It lets phones talk to computers, computers talk to laptops, or for that matter any wireless device communicate with another. It's pretty cool.

I imagine that the application would be similar to the Bluetooth Jabra headset. All you do is take your phone to the car, and it works like a hands-free phone.

 

bluetooth, is a form of wireless communication. For instance a bluetooth phone can can connect wirelessly to a bluetooth PDA so you can surf the web with the PDA. Or you can use a wireless bluetooth headset with your bluetooth phone. Not sure how the MINI will fit into the equation, but lets just say that umm a little bird told me.

_________________

 

I'd be curious to hear more about this. Bluetooth is very interesting, I'm shopping for a replacement cell phone that has it. So far, not many options in the US, but one can hope that will improve with new phones coming out later this spring (two good cell phone sites: http://www.phonearena.com and http://mobile.burn.com).

A MINI OEM handsfree bluetooth enable phone system would be the bee's knees!

 

From what I gathered, BlueTooth(SONY) is producing a concept Mini. It could also be the wireless cabin phone speaker set up. we;ll see, the bluetooth is still in it's infant stages of marketing and product installations. It may be a common bit with a year or two.

 

Bluetooth

Imagine:
1-pulling thru a tool booth and paying the tool via the internet.
2-Driving close to a music shop and instantly downloading music to your MP3 player and paying for it without leaving your car.
3-Accessing the internet and millions of other things.

 

>>Bluetooth
>>
>>Imagine:
>>1-pulling thru a tool booth and paying the tool via the internet.
>>2-Driving close to a music shop and instantly downloading music to your MP3 player and paying for it without leaving your car.
>>3-Accessing the internet and millions of other things.

Well, you'd have to drive pretty darn close to that music store to download tunes, as Bluetooth has a maximum range of a few feet.

Actually, Bluetooth is designed to be a wireless alternative/replacement for the sorts of cables that connect devices and peripherals. Useful applications in a car might be:

1) allowing your cell phone to communicate with the radio and a microphone to enable hands-free operation
2) allowing a portable MP3 player (iPod) to play through an audio head unit
3) allowing your PDA-based GPS to function as a NAV system for your car

Those would be the most useful apps, but I'm sure that someone would develop less mission-critical ones such as interfacing your digital camera with a lcd monitor (NAV display?). Just think of anything that you might want to cable from point a to point b in your MINI, and Bluetooth could do the job.

 

>>Bluetooth
>>
>>Imagine:
>>1-pulling thru a tool booth and paying the tool via the internet.
>>2-Driving close to a music shop and instantly downloading music to your MP3 player and paying for it without leaving your car.
>>3-Accessing the internet and millions of other things.

1 - Japan already has it. My future father-in-law had a driver in Japan and his Cadillac (all very important American businessmen have Caddies in Japan) had a chip in it that registered with a toll ($27 American to drive to the airport!) that told you when the toll was approaching and how much it was going to cost. Once you passed through it, without slowing down mind you, it told you to have a nice day and deducted the toll from your bank account.

How about your home sensing when you are getting close and firing up the heat, turning on the lights, warming up the jacuzzi and starting the dishwasher?

 

>>How about your home sensing when you are getting close and firing up the heat, turning on the lights, warming up the jacuzzi and starting the dishwasher?
>>

Hmmm... being a recent high-schooler I can tell you I wouldn't appreciate this one! I had plenty of 3-4 AM arrivals and I would appreciate it if my parents didn't hear me come in by the dishwasher turning on! Of course, the parents could install it and have it set off their alarm clock when the prodigal son returned after midnight... I don't like this idea at all

 

>>
>>>>How about your home sensing when you are getting close and firing up the heat, turning on the lights, warming up the jacuzzi and starting the dishwasher?
>>>>
>>
>>Hmmm... being a recent high-schooler I can tell you I wouldn't appreciate this one! I had plenty of 3-4 AM arrivals and I would appreciate it if my parents didn't hear me come in by the dishwasher turning on! Of course, the parents could install it and have it set off their alarm clock when the prodigal son returned after midnight... I don't like this idea at all

 

all the new apple laptops have bluetooth. i'm hoping to see a bluetooth ipod soon. if the ipod could talk to the radio we wouldn't need to worry about the aux hookups for the stereo!

curt

 

I think Mini needs OnStar. My dad has it in his Caddy, its sweet.

 

Until all this technology is available, iRock has a really cool fm transmitter (that actually looks cool). Check it out at iRock Website.

It works well, and runs off of 2 AAA batteries. Very cool. I use mine almost every day.

 

>>I think Mini needs OnStar. My dad has it in his Caddy, its sweet.

ya, OnStar would be really good for everycar!


when is the PocketPC coming out??

 

ATT Wireless now has a bluetooth kit from Sony that I guess could be installed on a MINI. I have the T68 and use the Moto Bluetooth headset while in my MINI.

Anyone have it already?
It's the second Item on the list- still a bit pricey

 

I like this one better than irock.
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/itrip/

 

My car was available with onstar but I didn't get it because my dad hated it. It's all done by people, which is a big problem. HUMAN ERROR EVERYWHERE. I had an onstar guy try to give me directions from Los Angeles to ILLINOIS. I WANTED TO GO TO IRVINE. Oh well, I'll take GPS navigation any day, even if it doesn't have a British accent

 

>>My car was available with onstar but I didn't get it because my dad hated it. It's all done by people, which is a big problem. HUMAN ERROR EVERYWHERE. I had an onstar guy try to give me directions from Los Angeles to ILLINOIS. I WANTED TO GO TO IRVINE. Oh well, I'll take GPS navigation any day, even if it doesn't have a British accent

I have OnStar on my GMC Envoy. I decided not to renew it after the free first year. Their packages are way too expensive. I rely on my MINI with the sexy British lady Nav.

 

Two Things:

epilot: The iTrip is definitely cool (for iPod users), I would definitely pay an extra $15 to not have to worry about batteries, and to have the range of radio frequencies. Sounds very nice. I have a 40GB Nomad, though, so no good for iPod accessories.

Secondly, I would have to say that Onstar is not the greatest service. I have a Saab, which came with Onstar, and used it frequently during my first (free) year of premium service. It was hit and miss as far as advisors go. Many times you were already well past your destination by the time they had your route figured out. Unpersonal as it may sound, take out the human interaction, and give me a Nav screen anytime. I'll order movie tickets and book hotels on my cell phone.

 

Onstar?

try the GPS, then you won't need Onstar -- no humans to mess up info either.

 

>>ATT Wireless now has a bluetooth kit from Sony that I guess could be installed on a MINI. I have the T68 and use the Moto Bluetooth headset while in my MINI.
>>
>>Anyone have it already?
>>It's the second Item on the list- still a bit pricey

yes I have it also, I love it.