Mercedes-Benz puts the iPhone on wheels

Mercedes-Benz is making smartphones mobile and ensuring that such electronic assistants will in future be fully linked into the car's infotainment system. First off the blocks is the Apple iPhone, which Mercedes-Benz has now integrated comprehensively
into the user experience concept of the new A-class, as the first automotive manufacturer in the world to take this step. Thanks to a new 'Digital DriveStyle App', developed in-house, together with the 'Drive Kit Plus for the Apple iPhone', drivers can now access all the key content of their Apple iPhone through the in-vehicle display and enjoy safe and convenient operation of the device via the Controller on the center armrest. The attractive 'look' is ensured by the revolutionary user interface design. In a further world premiere, Mercedes-Benz will enable access to the voice-based intelligent companion Siri in the vehicle. This allows natural speech input, without the need for specific commands, to send messages, select music tracks and check the weather forecast or stock prices, as well as to make appointments. All the iPhone integration functions can be used even with the entry-level Audio 20 system. 

This seamless integration of the Apple iPhone into the vehicle, in conjunction with the new revolutionary user interface design, means that Mercedes-Benz is now able to offer the Facebook generation its natural home on four wheels, in the form of the new A-class. Along with Facebook, Twitter and so on, the 'Digital DriveStyle App' developed by Daimler offers further services and content to suit the digital lifestyle and will be available to download free of charge from the Apple iTunes store. Its highlights include:
> Personalised internet radio by AUPEO! Personal Radio, which offers radio stations that compile an individual program for listeners and recommend similar music by genre or artists based on personal taste
> The advanced navigation software from Garmin, with internet-based real-time traffic information, online POI searches and 3D map display, all of which work even in combination with the entry-level multimedia system Audio 20
> A socially interactive experience involving 'sharing', 'posting' and the integration of music and other content from social networks including text-to-speech
> An intuitive 'Car Finder' which automatically stores the vehicle's location. Pedestrian navigation makes it completely easy to find your way back to the car
> Access to the voice-based intelligent companion Siri

New here is also the contextual and location-based display of menu content under the headings 'Social', 'Media' and 'Places'. The basic logic behind this was presented by Daimler for the first time in January of this year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Appearing under the heading 'Social', for example, are the various friends and latest news from the social networks.

The user interface design is unique and revolutionary. Transparent symbols are illuminated in red to create three-dimensionally arranged navigation levels. Within the three-dimensional illustration provided by this menu structure, the user can move intuitively between the various functions in fluid, animated transitions. The user interface concept was designed and implemented by designers and engineers in the Mercedes-Benz research and development center in Palo Alto, California/USA. Enlarging the display of content on the screen to an appropriate format for use in a vehicle and allowing it to be controlled through the ergonomically positioned Controller on the center armrest makes operating the system both safe and easy. 

The iPhone is connected through an interface developed by Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH. This allows content to be fed directly from the graphics output of the device to the display of the vehicle. At the same time, the iPhone is both powered and charged automatically while it is being used.

Full iPhone integration is not only possible in conjunction with the COMAND Online multimedia system. All functions, including navigation, can also be used even with the entry-level Audio 20 system. Mercedes-Benz is thus making it possible for the A-class's younger target group in particular to continue their digital lifestyle seamlessly inside the vehicle. Both the 'Digital DriveStyle App' and the 'Drive Kit Plus for the Apple iPhone' will be making their debut in the new A-class, which will be celebrating its world premiere at this year's Geneva Motor Show, and are also planned to be available from autumn 2012 for the B-, C- and E-class.

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