The more technology we have available to us, the more confusing things can get. However, BMW is trying to help us out by creating a system to integrate your Amazon music with the stereo of the new MINI Cooper hardtop.
On its face, this is part of the current trend of automakers – particularly luxury automakers – trying to get on board with the success of tech companies. This might be a more modest effort than, say, Mercedes’ attempts to integrate Google Glass with its infotainment system. On the other hand, however, this should actually work.
The new system allows the driver or passenger’s smartphone to talk to the onboard infotainment system. As with most modern systems, this means that you can listen to anything that’s stored on your phone.
The important thing is that now you can listen to music you have stored on the mysterious “cloud”. Assuming of course that you have cell service.
Because MINI would rather you not crash its hard work into a freeway embankment, all of the Amazon music is searchable through the car’s onboard system. This means that you will have no excuse to be staring at the phone in your lap.
Really, this is just part of a larger campaign by MINI to offer its customers as much choice in music and streaming audio as possible. New MINIs are already to connect to AUPEO!, Stitcher, Deezer, Audible, Napster/Rhapsody, and TuneIn. So for the six remaining people who use Napster, that’s good news!
Within the next five years I am sure we will be taking all of this technological necessity for granted and automakers are going to be searching for new ways to impress us. But, in the meantime, every little step counts.
