My MCS arrived on Saturday and I am having sooooo much fun driving it around town.

I will call ASK-MINI about the cradle.

Have fun I hope to have mine by the end of the month. Are you able to listen to the iphone via the normal y cable under the dash while you wait for the snap in?

Yes, with the convenience package I am able to talk via the Bluetooth integration and listen to music with the splitter that came with the MCS.

When I use the splitter to listen to music, the screen on the iPhone asks me if I want to put the phone in "airplane mode", I always click "no". In addition, ever since I started plugging the iPhone into the inputs using the splitter, the headphone option does not work properly; the phone rings though the external iPhone speaker while the headphones are plugged-in to the iPhone. I believe the user should only hear the ring through the headphones. I noticed this issue when I was cycling yesterday.

Thanks for the info. I will start creating my play list for the first drive.

I called ASK-MINI about the cradle for the 3G and the rep. did not have any information.

Anyone info on the cradle for the 3G yet?

I have the new Blackberry Bold 9000 & can't pair the Bluetooth? Any help? I have the comfort access and all that stuff - MCS 08. HELP!!

When we picked up our car and the end of october our MA said end of november/ start of december.

What does this 'splitter' split between? And does it let you control your music from the steering wheel (if you have the steering wheel controls)?

I'm trying to figure out if I will lose functionality going with a proclip mount and external wires over the expensive armrest insert from MINI.

With the spltter cable used under the radio or the snap in you are able to change tracks via the steering wheel as well as see and control the artist ,playlist , songs ect on the radio screen. No need to touch the iphone. I am not sure what the proclip mount is but you dont what external wires and have to mess with the little screen of the iPhone when you are driving. the spltter or y cable just lets the MINI control the iPhone via usb and play the sound over the normal aux in jack. Since the songs on the iPhone are protected(if you got them from itunes) it can't just read from the usb and decode the mp3 like the car does if you plug a flash drive with mp3 into the USB slot.

This is the proclip mount. And actually I do want to mess with the little screen of the iPhone because the car probably not support all the ins-and-outs of the ipod functionality -- genius playlists, as one example (but there are others).

One of the lost functions that I noticed today was checking the voicemail on the 3G iPhone via the Bluetooth signal. Maybe this will be fixed when the snap-in adapter is sold for the Smartphone integration package.

I use something like that in my TSX. For me I like the cleaner setup with out the wires and such. You are correct the can will never do all the stuff you can do one the phone. I use one of the griffen power adaptors that has the audio output at the 12v plug. That way you dont have to have a plug at the top and bottom of the iPhone. The belkin one would not charge the iPhone. The apple store sells one that comes with a remote you can fix to the wheel but cost a little more.

Did you all pay the $100 for the Smartphone integration?

Not yet a MINI owner, but I've had it on my config list for a while... I've also had two separate MAs tell me it's not worth it, so I'm considering other options.

From what I have found, the MAs and BMW sales associates do not know much about the option. For $100 it was worth taking the gamble for me because it would be hard to retrofit the integration package once the MINI had been built. If the MAs you are referring to can explain everything this option can do, then please explain it to me.

MINI does seem to have a hard time getting info out on it's tech-related stuff for some reason.

Minidrivr covered this in his post earlier:

Seems pretty straight-forward to me?

If you are using a phone such as the iPhone for your music you have to get the intergration other wise you waste the comfort blue tooth in the arm rest since with out intergration no music from the phone pluged into the arm rest snap in.

You don't have to get the integration because you don't have to plug your iphone into the armrest. Some people may prefer this method, but it is not a requirement.

Thank you for the part #s.

I called the parts department on 12/23 and they still do not information on the cradle for the iPhone 3G. He did say that it usually takes six months for a cradle to be made from when the phone is released.

What's the word? Does anyone have the cradle yet for the 3G?

Some info about it here.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...3g-cradle.html

we just picked one up for my wifes car and she said every thing works but she had to unplug the under dash cable for the music to play. Her phone was not below half full so no word from her as to if the charging works.

Thanks for the info!