Rob
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Post by Rob on Jan 3, 2021 18:45:15 GMT
When I first started with sat nav (2004) it was on my HP iPAQ and using TomTom v2. You could get comedy voices for that. So why not now.
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Post by dixinormus on Jan 3, 2021 18:53:58 GMT
Not sat nav, but arguably worse I find, is asking Alexa to do stuff and her getting it right first time...!
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jan 3, 2021 19:18:38 GMT
Nav: Make a U-turn if possible.
Boris Johnson: Never! I must continue to pander to the tabloids.
Nav: Please make a U-turn.
Boris Johnson: Oh. All right then.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Jan 3, 2021 21:50:18 GMT
The BMW OS 7 is closer to Alexa/Siri/Google than I thought was going to be the case. I have it set to send voice requests to BMW for back-end processing which makes it even smarter. You can rattle off an address/location/business for navigation and it works it out and if unsure it will give a list. But you can just say 'turn on passenger seat heater' or all sorts and it does it.
But I could also enable Alexa integration so I could ask questions of Amazon's Alexa direct too. Not done that.
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Post by EspadaIII on Jan 3, 2021 22:26:33 GMT
Life was easier with a 1973 Fiat 500...
And easier still with the same car, a charging point and a decent smartphone.
My 2009 S-Max had much of this stuff but I only used voice control to dial about two numbers. Office and Espadrille.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Jan 3, 2021 22:35:13 GMT
It's surprising how simple ergonomic designs that just worked are dropped because the likes of Tesla have big displays to control everything. One factor in deciding between an XC40 and the 330e was physical controls for the heating.
But another example of poor ergonomics for me was the cruise control buttons on my Mondeo. All black buttons around the steering wheel - I always had to glance to use them. Whereas the two previous cars (VWs) had cruise control on the indicator stalk so you could speed up/slow down easily. The Audi A3 and Skoda Superb both had separate stalks for cruise control and although they worked differently were good. Back to buttons on the 330e but that again is done better than the XC40. I can speed up/slow down with a control on the steering wheel with 1mph increments easily done.
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Avant
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Post by Avant on Jan 3, 2021 22:59:19 GMT
If anything surprised me, it would be that Volvo, who make such a song and dance about safety, should give virtually everything over to the touchscreen. "You'll soon get used to it, sir" misses the point: you still have to taker your eye off the screen for too long.
BMW give you a choice, and still provide the rotary control: that helped to put the X1 PHEV high on my shortlist.
Incidentally, you'll have no trouble from me with strike-throughs, for the simple reason that I don't know how to do a strike-through, and can't conceive of any reason why i should want to.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jan 3, 2021 23:16:18 GMT
...you'll have no trouble from me with strike-throughs, for the simple reason that I don't know how to do a strike-through, and can 't conceive of a ny reason why i should want to. 😈 |
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Rob
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Posts: 2,778
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Post by Rob on Jan 4, 2021 0:34:03 GMT
From what I've read the iconic BMW i-Drive rotary controller is going to be no more in the bear future. I liked it in the A3 (well the Audi variant) but in the 330e it's got the touch sensitive pad to write letters and the touch screen. And voice too. All very good.
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Post by Humph on Jan 4, 2021 7:56:27 GMT
The bears didn't like it?
😉
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jan 4, 2021 8:18:47 GMT
Sweet that BMW drivers still write letters — presumably thank-you letters at this time of year. (Probably shouldn’t be doing it while driving, though.)
Perhaps you ordered the Jane Austen Edition by mistake. Is there a fainting couch in place of the back seat? Lace edges to the bonnet?
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Post by EspadaIII on Jan 4, 2021 10:02:19 GMT
Having used the i-Drive in Espdrille's Mini I just don't get it. To me it is far too much time with eyes off the road. I need to look down to decide which button of Radio, Nav, Media etc I am stabbing.. The Mazda system is far superior. Both rotary knob and touch screen.
I keep looking at the X2 and thinking 'that looks nice' and then realising 'Oh bugger it's got that stupid iDrive thingy'.
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Rob
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Posts: 2,778
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Post by Rob on Jan 4, 2021 13:28:19 GMT
All BMWs now have rotary controller and touch don't they? Best of both worlds.
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Post by EspadaIII on Jan 4, 2021 14:32:50 GMT
ooooh really...
The X2 looks like a nice car. Not too sitty uppy, just slide in height. Similar to my 2003 Subaru Forester.
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Post by Humph on Jan 4, 2021 14:38:37 GMT
That used to slide as I recall...
😈
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