DETROIT, 2:23 PM, TUE MAY 13 | 38 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@jalopnik.com | SUBMIT A TIP | RSS
Posts Tagged “

Google

”
2008 bmw x6

BMW Assist, Google Maps Introduce "MyInfo" Service For New Big-Ass X6

BMW's teaming up with everyone's favorite mapping monopoly, Google Maps, to bring a new addition to the BMW Assist Safety Plan. It's called "MyInfo," and it's a service which, in addition to sounding hip and techie-cool through deletion of the spaces in the name, will allow BMW Assist subscribers to send business locations, street addresses and their associated phone numbers to their car via some magical connection between the two companies databases. Look at it kind of like a way to use their ConnectedDrive feature from your home. You may already have intimate knowledge of what that's like if you've ever opened up a browser and spent any time at Google's "Local Search" page. The MyInfo system will be available in the BMW X5, X6, 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 Series, effective with Model Year 2009, but for 2008 will only be available in the new big-reared 2008 BMW X6 — which, as you can see through the link, we've already had the privilege of road-testing. Starting four days ago, in 2008 X6 "Sports Activity Coupes" equipped with the BMW Assist and Bluetooth systems, customers will be able to call the phone numbers received with their Bluetooth connected mobile phone or, if their BMW is equipped with a navigation system, immediately start route guidance by a simple push of a button. Not to shabby a plan if you ask us. But BMW isn't the first to offer space-deleting net-based navigation connectivity.

More »

1:30 PM on Sat Apr 12 2008
By Ray Wert
2,878 views, 16 comments

Latest by B: @BlackIce_GTS: Or the Z4 more »

offbeat news

Google Street View Dishes Up Another Fascinating Slice-O-Life


Now, we can't say for sure what sort of transaction was captured on film by the Google Street View photography vehicle; perhaps the Illinois gentleman with the roll of bills is negotiating for the purchase of an 80s Ford LTD. Whatever it is, we're seeing free enterprise in glorious effect here. Take that, Commies! Thanks to LTDScott aka Porcubimmer_4_Lyfe for the tip! [Google Maps]

10:00 AM on Tue Mar 25 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,804 views, 21 comments

novelties

Google Street View Banned from Military Bases

The US military has banned Google Street View from its bases after photography and video was posted of Fort Sam in Texas that potentially threatened security. According to the Inquirer, the Pentagon got "its knickers in a twist" after a vehicle carrying Street View equipment was allowed access to the base, capturing "where all the guards are, how the barriers go up and down, and how to get in and out of buildings." Information that the military is worried could aid the dreaded terrorist masterminds currently plotting our demise. More »

1:30 PM on Fri Mar 7 2008
By Wes Siler
1,049 views, 47 comments

Latest by Benz250S: street view was a pointless and downright silly idea in the first place! more »

geneva motor show

BMW Expands ConnectedDrive, Allows Access To Entire Internet

Remember BMW's ConnectedDrive—the service that gives your in-car information system access to Google Local Search and pairs it up with the navigation system? BMW is taking it one step further by no longer limiting what you can and cannot access with ConnectedDriv, meaning you will be able to browse all of the porn sites you can handle inside your car. There are a few catches, though. More »

3:15 PM on Mon Feb 25 2008
By Travis Hudson
1,445 views, 16 comments

offbeat news

Stop Getting Caught In Google Street View Accidents

That's right, a fourth Google Street View accident. After Minneapolis and Phoenix - twice, we're now joining some firefighters on cleanup duty in lovely Oceanside, California on the very Jalop appropriate El Camino Real. The two car accident looks like it may have been a three car incident due to the sandwich effect on the Mercury Tracer Civic, but there's no third party anywhere in sight. The fire guys seem to have brandished the jaws of life on one of the cars, but we can't for the life of us figure out what it is an 80's era Mazda 626. Humorously the accident occurred in a most convenient location - right in front of a junkyard fronted by an auto repair shop. [Google Street View]

5:15 PM on Thu Jan 24 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
2,462 views, 17 comments

Latest by Trick: No plates... lots of broken parts that make this appear to be a exercise, not an accident... Man I thought I would never jump on the "this is fake" bandwagon :) more »

offbeat news

Google Street View Makes Phoenix Look Dangerous

We're beginning to wonder if Google Street View is somehow causing these accidents. We saw the awesome Audi Q7 versus Range Rover upside-down cake near the Phoenix Country Club a couple of weeks ago. Now we're seeing another one a mere 2.7 miles away. "That's crazy talk!" you say. Nope, there's definitely a case to be made. While the country club crackup was decidedly expensive, this one is a bit more low-rent. Underneath the blazing Arizona sun (which apparently destroyed the front camera element), this Chevrolet Cavalier took a dirt nap after being T-boned by an S-10. You can barely make out the high build quality of the Cav because it's hidden behind the wrinkled roof and the driver still chilling out in the passenger seat. We're also enjoying the "WTF?" look on the burly cop's face when he notices the camera car. [Google Street View]

10:30 AM on Mon Jan 21 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
1,869 views, 20 comments

Latest by Armand4: Quick! Someone alert Patrick Bedard so he has some filler for his next diatribe in Car And Driver! more »

novelties

Bullitt Chase Sequence Mapped, Proves a Tough Route

Most car guys have watched the legendary chase sequence in the movie Bullitt enough times to have it memorized, but have you ever tried driving it? Our guess is that if you tried it and succeeded, you must have an early copy of the Moller M200 because unfortunately the route is impossible. An intrepid Google user with the tag mthaeg has gone to the trouble of matching the movie to the roads of the bay area, and despite the greatness of the chase, it isn't based in reality. It seems the footage was filmed in nine different locations all over San Francisco. While this in no way diminishes the greatness of the 1968 Peter Yates classic, it does make recreating it with your own Mustang Bullitt and Charger SRT-8 that much more difficult. Click through for the map or go directly to to Google maps page for much more detail. More »

9:15 AM on Fri Jan 11 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
3,382 views, 59 comments

Latest by SuperBien: I never saw this movie in its entirety, but the two guys in that Charger give off this vibe like they're members of Nixon's C.R.E.E.P. . . . more »

offbeat news

Another Google Street View Crash

It's darn near an epidemic. As unlikely as it may seem, we have captured pictures of another Google Street View accident. Not only is this one more dramatic, it features a much healthier dollop of schadenfreude. Where before we had a random car crash, here we have a double luxo-SUV smash-up featuring the fancy pants Audi Q7 and Landie's Range Rover outside of the Phoenix Country Club. Feel that? That's stereotype humor rocking your socks off. Take solice in that there is still an element of 'WTF?'. Somehow that Range Rover finished the action upside down, and considering the extent of the damage we're surprised to see the occupant dutifully taking down insurance info. This is making us wonder how many Street View accidents there are out there.[Google Maps]

2:00 PM on Tue Jan 8 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
38,240 views, 38 comments

Latest by KaiserM715: This is hilarious, especially considering to total dollar value of cars involved. (maybe they should be driving CARS instead....) more »

offbeat news

Google Street View Captures Car Accident

Finally, Google goes and does something worth our while. In what seems to be a completely inexplicable car accident, a Minneapolis woman decided to drive her Mercedes Benz E-Class into a tree - and the Google Street View camera car was there to immortalize it. Unfortunately the moment of impact wasn't captured by the pseudo-surveillance set-up so we're left with a head scratcher. It appears to be a one car accident, on a lightly congested street, in broad daylight - with a big tree. We'll refrain from the easy lady driver jokes, but still, how the heck did that happen?[Google.com]

4:30 PM on Thu Jan 3 2008
By bwojdyla
119,455 views, 39 comments

Latest by halfshaft: Obviously she couldn't see the forest through her knees. more »

novelties

Google To Announce Partnership To Bring Google Maps, Directions To The Gas Pump

Google will announce today a partnership with gas station service pump maker Gilbarco Veeder-Root to dispense Google Maps and driving directions on a color screen at 3,500 gas pump. We've been told pumpers will be able to scroll through several categories to find local landmarks, hotels, restaurants and hospitals selected by the gas station's owner. After the gas pumper selects a destination, the pump will print out directions. Eventually, Gilbarco Veeder-Root hopes to upgrade the Applause system so motorists can type in a specific address and get directions. So what makes this service different than other services offered by the widening net of social control that is Google? There won't be any ads. Seriously. Participating retailers will pay for the new pumps and then be able to make extra money from other merchants that offer coupons on the service. How nice. Screen shot after the jump. (Hat tip to CGRAHAM!) More »

12:45 PM on Wed Nov 7 2007
By Ray Wert
1,145 views, 24 comments

Latest by Benson2175: I just want to get my gas and go, I don't need an "experience". Will you be able to check facebook at these things? My girlfriend will be filling up for hours. more »

nav systems

It's Official: BMW Gets Google Local Search And It's Available Now...In Germany

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 »

12:58 PM on Fri Aug 31 2007
By Ray Wert
4,946 views, 9 comments

Latest by Mercedes-Benz's Search & Send and BMW's ConnectedDrive on Straightline: Mercedes-Benz USA has introduced the ability to send directions directly from computers to its vehicles. more »

i always feel like somebody's watching me

Google Street Cam: Brought To You By The Chevrolet Cobalt

A couple months back we showed you the first shot of the Microsoft Live "Street View" truck. Now a tipster to our gadget-obsessed brother site snapped some pictures of what appears to be Google upping the ante. The tipster, who will remain nameless to protect his identity from Google bombs, found in a secret lair at a highway park-n-ride 30 Chevy Cobalts. But these weren't just any Cobalts, all of them were "Street Cam" camera equipped, or "an armada of C.C.C.Cs (Chevy Cobalt Camera Cars)" as the Chevrolet-spotting Gizmodo tipster called them. We're wondering whether this means Chevrolet has thrown aside their allegiance to the forces of good (mom, apple pie, baseball and Autobots) in order to assist the forces of evil (Google)? More than likely Google just got a really good deal on a mess of Cobalts. [Gizmodo]

11:30 AM on Tue Jul 17 2007
By Ray Wert
1,581 views, 11 comments

Latest by PlatformHoon: I know google is using them, but I can't help but think of a caption for that picture like "Chevy Colbalt now available with standard remote control" more »

googleplexity

Google Org to Fund Plug-in Hybrids

Plug-in hybrids are the "killer app" of alternative automotive energy says Google. That's a fancy way of saying they've got some Googlebux, and they're not afraid to use them. The company's funding a new program called RechargeIT, a Google.org initiative aiming to reduce CO2 emissions and petroleum use, but also to feed power back to the electrical grid. That's correct — the once pie-in-the-sky concept of vehicle-to-grid (VTG) tech is getting a major supporter with the R&D pockets to get something mainstream to happen. How can you stop these people? Poor Yahoo! – Mike Spinelli More »

9:34 AM on Tue Jun 19 2007
By Mike Spinelli
228 views, 6 comments

Latest by lascauxcaveman: Yeah, global warming is a crock, but I still like the slot car idea Tuboner has. (Is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?) more »

candid camera

Microsoft Live Truck Spotted Prowling On The Highway

It looks like Microsoft's upping the street view ante in the cold map war against Google. Tipster The Red Monkey just sent us the shot to the right. We'll let him continue:
"This morning on my way into downtown I spotted the Microsoft live "street view" truck. I only had time to grab one picture before my exit onto J street. Its a cameraphone pic so its not great but you can see the cameras on top of the truck and the Microsoft Live logos on the back. I did not catch the name of the company out on the prowl for them either."
So get ready all you sketchy guys coming out of strip clubs, nose-pickers and pissing rednecks — it's Microsoft's turn and the Live truck's a comin' to get you on digital film for your 15 minutes of fame. Or at least 30 minutes or so of time spent on the front page of Digg. – Ray Wert More »

1:00 PM on Thu Jun 14 2007
By Ray Wert
5,652 views, 19 comments

Latest by quikboy: @eltonito: Then just get Windows, or get a PC. Seems that thousand's of people do that everyday. Don't see what makes you different. more »

goog is all around

Google Street View: How They Did It

If you're like us, you've been playing with Google Maps Street View for the past week instead of working. But if you've also spent too many hours wondering, while picking lint off a throw pillow, how they created all those street-level panoramas, you might want to leave the day room for a few minutes. For much of it, you can thank Immersive Media, whose Beetle-mounted Dodeca camera provided the 360-degree shots. Arranged in a dodecahedron, the camera's 11 lenses and sensors produces 11 video streams of 100 million pixels per second. Pretty sneaky, goog. – Mike Spinelli More »

9:00 AM on Fri Jun 1 2007
By Mike Spinelli
6,511 views, 17 comments

Latest by Maymar: It's not a cool car, but I found the supposed house of Lt. Frank Bullitt (south west corner of Clay St. and Taylor St. in San Francisco) more »

news

General Motors Joins Chocolate Eggs In Advertising On NBC-Fox's NewTube

Congrats to the General on helping to put up the ducats necessary to pay for NBC/Fox's new GooTube competitor. That's right, GM's going to be one of the first advertisers on the new online video collaboration between the fair and balanced Fox and the peacocks at NBC. And we're glad to see it, because we think the world needs more boldly moving automakers willing to agree to buy advertising on a platform that doesn't yet exist, and will probably quickly become filled with videos of cats playing piano, ninjas and you know, other randomness. We also like that Cadberry's buying advertising on it as well, because we like the chocolate eggs and stuff. – Ray Wert More »

1:30 PM on Thu Mar 22 2007
By Ray Wert
372 views, 3 comments

Latest by lascauxcaveman: "Cadbury". I live next to Canada, so I know these things. more »

gadgets

Digital Destiny: BMW Drive Assist Pairs with Google Maps in Germany

Finally, BMW and Google have made that most crucial of connections between our digital and IRL lives. And that's not just more dipshit tech-hype speak. BMW announced a new system that combines Google Maps with its cellular-based Drive Assist system. BMW drivers no longer have to stop and get analog with pen and paper. They can now send locations from Google Maps Deutchland right to their cars. Then they can use the address as their sat-nav destination, or call it from their car. It's part of Google's nascent "Send to Car" service, which is destined to blow up once more automakers and aftermarket suppliers get on board. – Mike Spinelli More »

6:25 AM on Fri Mar 9 2007
By Mike Spinelli
823 views, 2 comments

Latest by imoody: How's that for Teutonic efficiency? Thomas - No. Where is it? more »

alternative energy

Googling a Hybrid: Search Giant's Charity to Develop Plug-in Hybrid

According to the New York Times, Google (motto: "Keeping Math Geeks Out of Academia Since 1998") is using a portion of its epic pile of Googlebux to develop a plug-in hybrid car powerplant for passenger cars. The project is part of a wide-reaching philanthropic effort, Google.org, which has been capitalized to the tune of $1 billion and chartered with alleviating poverty, disease and global warming. The gas-electric powerplant will have a target mileage rating of 100 mpg, run on ethanol, electricity and gasoline, and probably even send an SMS when the "check engine light" goes on. [Thanks to Greg for the tip.] More »

10:45 AM on Mon Sep 18 2006
By Mike Spinelli
146 views, 5 comments

Latest by Ray Wert: Maybe Google will put it in Ann Arbor with the 1000 AdWords jobs it's hiring for. more »