Pix not appearing for some so visit the below link (sorry for all the trouble)

LINK TO YAHOO PHOTO ALBUM:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25001132@N05/2418847013/in/set-72157604250878480/



Below this “opinion piece” you’ll find some pix of various “screen shots” of the NAV option for those who were curious about GPS and Bluetooth.

I had GPS in my 2004 MC and found it to be very satisfactory. The 2007 GPS set up is much improved and VERY similar to the iDrive in my E60's. However,I find the iDrive to be MUCH easier and more intuitive... iDrive gets a lot of bad press but after having it for a couple years now, I feel anything else seems "busy" with too many buttons (i.e. Audi’s MMI).

The 2007 MC NAV system is basically a watered down version of iDrive. While initially more simple than iDrive I prefer the "home" screen on iDrive better where the 4 menu categories are not stacked in a list but instead separated to top, bottom, left or right which doesn't require you to look at the screen when choosing a function (i.e. it's more intuitive - you know NAV is right and Phone is up). On the MC version you have to look at the screen and scroll up or down to the menu item you want.

I actually preferred (yes I'll say it again) PREFERRED the NAV screen in the older MC because it was displayed in "day light" mode. As you will see in the below pix the NAV screen is in dark colors or a more "night vision". It does create less harsh light at night but it might be a bit too dark for some in day time.

I'm also surprised the BT screen doesn't have an on screen keypad like iDrive. On iDrive when making a call, to say your voice mail, a horizontal key pad of 0-9, #,* and then A-Z appears at the bottom of the screen so you can enter in a pass code etc. On the Mini you have to use your phone’s keypad.

Lastly the real time traffic updates is VERY cool (my E60's don't have it). I've no pictures for you since I live at the beach and the roads are too rural but when I'm in the Silicon Valley/SF Bay Area it alerts me in real time of ALL traffic delays on every freeway, interstate & highway.

SCREEN SHOT: 1st Gen. NAV Screen


SCREEN SHOT: 2nd Gen. Startup Menu


SCREEN SHOT: GPS Screen


SCREEN SHOT: RDS Presets (FM)


SCREEN SHOT: BT Top 8 list


SCREEN SHOT: Settings Menu


INTERIOR: Arm rest/Phone Cradle


INTERIOR: Removable face-plate for NAV DVD access

 

the nav is great...

 

Nice setup. I just have the BT. How did you find out about what phones (I have a blackberry pearl) support use of the cradle in the armrest. My MA didn't really know much about that. The NAV/DVD unit: is that to update maps? I heard that was under the passenger seat in the R53s.

 

Here's what I DO know....

I went through the whole "phone thinbg" with my E60's. While most BT phones should pair the best ones are the approved BMW phones. Unfortunately most of those are out of date by a year or 2. I have a Treo that pairs fine (not on the approved list) but my Sonny Ericsson which is on the list pairs perfectly and all functions load to the screen. (The Treo loses connectivity frequently).

As for the cradle BMW sells one only for Sonny Ericsson or Nokia phones. The cradle is interchangeable with MINI/BMW (see pix below). So I didn't have to purchase this item for the Mini. I can just snap the cradle out of the BMW, snap it in the Mini and then just dock the phone. Note: Cradle also keep the phone charged.

Hope this helps!

BMW CRADLE: Inserted in MC arm rest


BMW CRADLE: Inserted in E60


BMW CRADLE: Inserted in MC w/Sonny Ericsson T637

 

Could you repost the pictures of the Nav - I'd love to see them and for some reason they're not coming up in my browser. The cradle pictures came up fine.

 

Hope this works for you - a few differeent ones from the original post.

 

Thanks! Great Shots

 

hmm.. none of your pics are loading for me

 

None of the images show up for me either -- except your signature image.

 

... You're right, the pix don't come up for me on my personal laptop but I can
see them on my work laptop????

Does anyone know why this is? Or is it something I've done?

THANK YOU!

 

I can't get any of your pictures to load, either.

I tried using the URLs directly, but they are malformed. I thought it was because the board software escaped the ampersand character, so I changed it (replaced "&" with "&") but then I get a "server not found" error.

 

I can't see the URLs, so hard to know what it is, but I'm sure it is something you've done.

Could you just post the URL to the image as text?

 

Sorry for the trouble. I've no clue what I'm doing. I just edited my original posts by deleting and adding the pix again (did via cut/paste) and they appear for me when I log out and just view the thread as an "outsider".

But just in case here is the link to my Yahoo! album from which they come;

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/idrivegu...60762322841966

Do you guys think the issue is that did a cut/paste?

 

Your images now show for me. Thanks.

 

I also can't see the photos in the thread but I did go to the link and see them. I've got SAT/NAV and Gotham Grey as well, makes for a very nice interior. So far you and I are the only two with those interior door panels that have posted pics.