Here are some images of the new iDrive system. I shall try to explain them as I go here.
On the main menu, the new iDrive is divided into several sections. A number of these correspond to the buttons around the new controller.
Note that my car does not have all of the possible options, and I would imagine that Bluetooth, Satellite Radio, and the Smartphone Integration add a few menu items here and there.
CD/Multimedia
This first section houses the CD player, the onboard "music collection" (which in my car is 13Gb in size), and "external devices," which refers to the iPod and USB interface.
Within each of these audio sources, you can perform some fairly powerful searches to narrow down large numbers of music files. Predefined playlists are also supported.
The "Tone" section contains the usual tone controls as well as options for system audio volumes.
Radio
This section is home to AM/FM radio as well as the HD radio that BMW tossed in with the iDrive option on '09s. I would imagine that Satellite Radio also lives in here.
The car will scan the local area for HD radio stations as well as traditional FM stations that broadcast Radio Data System (RDS) signals. These are presented to you in a list, but you can tune manually if you know a station by frequency rather than name. They provide a boatload of preset slots as well if you are fond of station-hopping.
Curious: Since the iDrive software is modular and hardware independent (yeah right). Why can't you update the 2008 3 series to the new 09' iDrive? I bet it's because of the weak hardware/cpu/memory unable to run the new apps. Don't get me wrong..my 08' 335 sport is great driving pleasure...but jesus...BMW needs to hire some Apple programmers to fix the iDrive short falls across the board. The slow responses in menu selections and slow boot up is unacceptable for a BMW. I know they can do better than this.
+100
Wishful thinking always had me thinking if only BMW would open up their eyes and go to california & sit down with Apple with a proposal so Apple can design their next iDrive. A true 'i' in the iDrive...it already carries the 'i' why not. Then again American cars probably have a better chance of striking a deal with Apple than BMW does. Sort of like Sync by Microsoft
I picked my 09 335xi last week and the female voice is driving me crazy. (I can't have two female voices giving me directions) Does any one know how to change the voice to mans?
thanx in advance and caio for now
IMO biggest problem with previous iDrive was not with some missing functions, but rather that way too many clicks required for simple operations. So, what is in the new system?
1. How many clicks needed to switch from CD to FM?
2. Is there a separate, readily accessible 'take me home' nav button/menu item?
3. Does system remembers tone/eq settings per media source (i.e. separate for CD and radio)?
4. How many clicks to adjust tone or fader position?
IMO biggest problem with previous iDrive was not with some missing functions, but rather that way too many clicks required for simple operations. So, what is in the new system?
1. How many clicks needed to switch from CD to FM?
Using the steering-wheel audio source button, as few as one depending on how many active audio sources your car has. If you prefer to do so from the iDrive controller and were on a map or somesuch, the sequence would be (a) click iDrive MENU button to access the main menu, (b) turn iDrive controller to highlight "Radio", (c) press iDrive controller.
Frequently-used destinations, like most of the iDrive functions, can be assigned to one of the preset keys with a simple press-and-hold operation. The preferences of each driver will determine what oft-accessed functions they want to assign to those preset keys. The home location appears at the top of the destination list, so finding it to navigate to is fairly easy as well even if you don't assign it as a preset.
I am not certain on this one...I use the settings recommended by some folks here and elsewhere, but I will check to see if the CD/Multimedia and Radio tone controls are independent.
i heard that you can have pictures on the screen, kinda like a background. Is this true? If so does it have pictures preloaded or do you have to upload your own?
I also read in a BMW release book that google and the navigation system are linked. Can you send a destination on google directly to your navigation so that you can get directions preloaded. Does it have any connection to google? Thanks
I also read in a BMW release book that google and the navigation system are linked. Can you send a destination on google directly to your navigation so that you can get directions preloaded. Does it have any connection to google? Thanks
One thing I've read is that this version is capable of accepting destinations from Google Maps. Apparently you can look something up in Google Maps and then send it to your car. Has anybody tried this to see if it works?
Good write up. I have 3 questions (excuse me if these were already answered)
1) POI: I think now it has option to be done purely by name for ANY destination w/o any reference to category (i.e., completely analogous to acura method). Is this correct?
2) Does NAVI now indicate which side of the street is the destation?
3). This is more of a comment, but I wish that after I select a category or whatever, that rather than having to click the knob, it would automatically assume I have selected the right category after a second or two. Presumably this hasn't been changed though. Too many clicks!
Good write up. I have 3 questions (excuse me if these were already answered)
1) POI: I think now it has option to be done purely by name for ANY destination w/o any reference to category (i.e., completely analogous to acura method). Is this correct?!
3). This is more of a comment, but I wish that after I select a category or whatever, that rather than having to click the knob, it would automatically assume I have selected the right category after a second or two. Presumably this hasn't been changed though. Too many clicks!
I decided not to go without the Nav, BUT I DID get the Sat Radio on my 2009 335. Do they use the Idrive head Unit from factory or the Std radio head unit?
I decided not to go without the Nav, BUT I DID get the Sat Radio on my 2009 335. Do they use the Idrive head Unit from factory or the Std radio head unit?
I have delivey of my new 328 coming in a couple of weeks and wanted to know if the manual for iDrive was on-line somewhere. I have checked out the full manual PDF, and it seems pretty brief when showing the iDrive info. Thought there may be more out there to read.
I have delivey of my new 328 coming in a couple of weeks and wanted to know if the manual for iDrive was on-line somewhere. I have checked out the full manual PDF, and it seems pretty brief when showing the iDrive info. Thought there may be more out there to read.
hey! as someone who took delivery of my first BMW a week ago, congrats!
as for the iDrive info, the manual i got with the car (the same one i was able to download from my Owner's Circle account web page) is fairly complete... the section entitled iDrive is only 5 pages, true enough, but the iDrive is integrated so fully into the operation of your 328 that its hard to find a section that doesn't include illustrations of the iDrive with sample screens relevant to that function...
combined with the display-shots at the top of this thread, i think you get a pretty comprehensive overview...
is there something (or some kind of info) in particular you were hoping to read up on?
Sorry, Im not sure if or how to post a PDF that is hosted on a different forum. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233573 and go down to the post made on 2-27 made by Technic at 4:00. There is a PDF there that compares the old CCC to the new CIC and talks aboutbuild and architecture and some other info that you may find helpfull.
So is that all the presets we are able to store with the new iDrive is 6? I know those buttons can be used for all kinds of things. Is there some other way to store the multitude of channels we get between Sirius and HD etc?? 6 just seems like WAY to few!!
under radio there is a setting for presets... you can store up to 40 stations mixed in from AM, FM and Sirius, in any order... i've set up one of the 6 buttons to call up the preset function and then scroll through the 40 channels i've set up (well, only 32 so far)... works pretty well
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