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If you're squinting at a poorly-rendered map on your Blackberry, turns out you're not alone. According to an industry report released today, up to 8% of Americans are now downloading driving directions and online maps via mobile devices, which equates to a whopping 82% increase over last year. Ironic that mobile map use is increasing just as in-car navigation systems are becoming more common: Are we getting hooked on nav? Full release after the jump. More »
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It's official, there's a press release and everything. As part of their "ConnectedDrive" theory on in-car information systems, BMW is now the first auto manufacturer to offer Google local search straight from the in-dash nav system. You can look for Yellow Pages-type information like names and addresses of restaurants, hotels — locate service stations, banks, supermarkets, cinemas and Apple genius bars — and all of it right from your car. One catch — you've got to be in Germany. Well, it's a start and hopefully it's a preview of what we'll be able to see here stateside. This isn't the first pair-up between the two companies — Google and BMW had been offering the "Send to Car" function for a while now — that's the system that let's you transfer search results from the Google Maps website directly to the car. This new Google local search system now gives you access to the Internet from the car. Full release after the jump. More »
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