Why No Computer to Nav Hard-drive Link?

First let me say that I'm not an I-drive hater. While the last rendition in the E60 still wasn't the greatest, it was at least usable. I still wish it had a better search function for the i-pod though.

So, if BMW is so proud of their advancements in technology, why can't I create, and modify, an entire vacation on my computer at home and upload it, either from a flash drive or directly from a laptop, to the HD/Nav in the car? Especially when you can open several tabs at once and make reservations, research attractions, find restaurants, etc. w/o having to fumble through the I-drive. Change in plans? Edit the trip and upload the changes.

Something like Rand McNally Tripmaker would be a lot easier to use in the comfort of my home as opposed to sitting in the car in the garage. With one of the biggest software developers in the world (SAP) residing in Germany, I would think that they could come up with something.

Yikes.

SAP is an ERP/supply chain company, not a consumer-electronics firm.

"There are many commercial fishing companies in Japan so someone should come up with a way to maintain goldfish longer."

Originally Posted by lindros2

"There are many commercial fishing companies in Japan so someone should come up with a way to maintain goldfish longer."

Loooool! FYI, the infotainment system is made by Harman Kardon for BMW. Also, there is a way to upload your itinerary straight from Google Maps to your car... Or upload it to a USB stick and import it through the USB port. Please do not make uneducated remarks before researching the subject.

I wouldn't think that the manufacturer of the entertainment/nav system would necessarily determine the final interface, other than possible hardware limitations it may have. I thought that would be more of a programming issue.

Where does the information about uploading from Google maps reside? Doesn't appear to be in the owners manual in the section about the nav system.

Part of BMW Convenience Package

On most 2007 and later models produced after 9/06, the destination address and phone number can even be sent directly to your BMW. This information can then be transferred to your BMW Navigation system (if so equipped) for route guidance or your Bluetooth® linked cell phone to make the call.

The other one is achieved using this website.

Thanks for the guidance, though the 2nd link seems to go to a beta version of BMW Routes (which is exactly what I was hoping for), except it seems to be Euro only. From the web site:

In which countries can I plan my own routes?

The planning of own routes and the route guidance according to the transfer vehicle will be available in the following countries:
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

I just put in two US zipcodes and "comma" then United States and it worked.