BMW and Google Maps marry dash and desktop

GPS navigation systems continue to be a popular option for car buyers. Some of the most frequent complaints with electronic navigation, however, are that the maps themselves aren't updated frequently enough and that problems seem to occur when the GPS tells drivers to go down a route that may not be navigable. With the ability to be interactive and updated (even if infrequently), they still represent a huge step up in functionality over the paper maps of yore. Not only can you designate a destination and have the route personalized for you, other points of interest can be highlighted, traffic updates can be monitored, and you never have to try to refold them, so in our book it's a no-brainer.

Physically entering the desired address into the system can be tedious and distracting, however, especially at speed. BMW has developed a way to remove the middle man so to speak, which is you. With this new system, users can access Google business listings on their own computer and then forward the address and details to their Drive Assist-equipped BMWs. Rather than re-entering the information, the navi already knows it when the driver's but hits the seat. It's a nice time saver that helps make the process more accurate and safer, too. While we'd still like to have access to Google Maps when we're actually in the car, skipping the re-entry of the address helps quite a bit and it's definitely a step in the right direction. Check out the video of how it works after the jump.

[Source: Engadget]

The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.