Tag: BMW

Article

BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant may be the cold, distant German Siri of our dreams | CNet

From the horse’s mouth

BMW Group

Video – Click or tap to play

My Comments

I have been pushing for the idea of European firms answering what Silicon Valley offers but applying European values to these offerings. Here, it’s like the rise of Airbus and Arianespace from France answering the USA’s leadership in the aerospace industry.

I was calling this out because the European Commission were always worried about the way the popular Silicon-Valley-based online services, especially Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple were doing to European personal and business values like democracy, competitive markets, user privacy and transparency. Their typical answer was to either pass more regulations or litigating against them in the European court system. But they could easily encourage European companies to offer online services that underscore the European mindset through, for example, business-development assistance. 

It is something that is slowly happening with the rise of Spotify, the leading world-wide jukebox, rising from Sweden. There is also a persistent effort within France to answer YouTube with a peer-to-peer video-streaming service.

Now BMW have stepped up to the plate by working on a voice-driven assistant which will initially be focused towards the automotive space. But they intend to take it beyond the vehicle and have it as a European competitor to Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant or Cortana.

But I would say that even if they don’t get it beyond the car dashboard, they could establish it as a white-label platform for other European tech firms to build upon. This could lead to the creation of smart-speaker products from the likes of Bang & Olufsen or TechniSat that don’t necessarily have to run a Silicon-Valley voice-driven assistant platform. Or Bosch or Electrolux could work on a “smart-home” control setup with a voice-driven assistant that is developed in Europe.

Articles

BMW cars with ConnectedDrive will benefit from an over-the-air software security patch

Your BMW just downloaded a security patch | Engadget

BMW patches in-car software security flaw | IT News

BMW Group ConnectedDrive increases data security | BMW Blog (BMW enthusiasts’ online magazine)

From the horse’s mouth

BMW Group

Press Release

My Comments

BMW ConnectedDrive user interface – where you can manually draw down that update

An issue that is constantly being raised regarding the Internet Of Everything is data and network security, including making sure the devices work to end-users’ expectations for proper, safe and secure operation. One of the constant mantras associated with this goal is to have a continual software-update cycle for these devices with the ability for customers to place new software in these devices in the field like you can with a regular computer or a smartphone.

BMW had brought about the ConnectedDrive online vehicle management and infotainment system to their newer BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce cars. But they discovered a flaw in the software and wrote a patch to rectify this problem. You would normally think that to have this patch delivered in to the vehicle management system, you would need to bring the car in to the dealership and this would be done as part of its regular preventative-maintenance servicing.

Here, it would typically involve you having to book the car in with the dealership including determining whether you need to use the courtesy car or not, drive it there at the appointed day and time and pick up the courtesy car if you needed it, then make a point of heading back to the dealership before they close to collect your car when it is ready.

But BMW had worked on delivering the software patch to the car via the mobile broadband link that the ConnectedDrive system depends upon for its functionality. Here, you would be advised that the update is taking place and at an appropriate time, the software patch would be applied. If you had garaged the car, you can manually “draw down” the update to your car once you drive it out of your garage.

What I see of this is the proactive way that the BMW Group have been able to use what is taken for granted with most computer operating systems to roll out critical software patches to their vehicles, which is something to be considered of importance when it comes to data security. This has to work not just through the life-cycle of a vehicle but beyond especially in markets where vehicles are likely to benefit from long service lives.