ExGMan

My wife's IT person is trying to get a PDA-type phone which will both work in the car (including fully downloading the contacts into the I-Drive), and also work with her email server. Verizon Palm Treo 700wx does everything except loading the contacts. She has asked me if I can come up with a name and number for the OEM Bluetooth car kit in the 530xi. BMWNA is of no help. Has anyone ever figured this out, that is the name of the manufacturer and the model number?

Rudy

I'm not sure I understand what you're looking for...

ExGMan

Rudy - Thanks for your reply. I don't know about the tech pieces much, but my wife's IT people seem to feel that there's a technological description somewhere which could help identify the electronics in the car. I know, I know, it's a BMW. However, Verizon has posted descriptors of BMW BT hardware as "BMW Assist" and "Continental 6x." I think the issue is having the appropriate handheld hardware (the 'phone if you will) communicate with the car BT interface while it's in the car, and also be able to do the email/PDA etc. functions while it's out of the car. BMWNA was fine with this, essentially saying: "Get the best PDA 'phone for your use and if it doesn't work with the car, well...too bad." Well, gosh, we've got a pricey vehicle here, with sophisticated electronics, and no one can tell me who manufactured the BT interface? I've seen your problems with the BMW electronics. You're not happy with the Progman 24.xx changes. Why can't BMW figure out that there are people who've bought their products, who have problems with them, and there are no answers? I know we're a community here on the e60.net, but can't BMWNA even provide us basic information? Rant over. Back to somnolence...

dlevi67

BMW Assist is a service, not a piece of hardware, and the only Continental "hardware" I'm familiar within a car context is a German tyre manufacturer, so I'm even less sure what you are aiming for.

BMW per se does not manufacture any electronics; the TCU ("Bluetooth box") is probably manufactured by Siemens (at least, my EU E61 has what looks like a VDO/Siemens stamp), however, the issue is not the hardware but the software/protocol support for various bluetooth functions, and unless one has access to the design specs it's practically impossible to find out what is enabled and what is not and to what standard. Just knowing the manufacturer or the hardware spec won't help, I'm afraid. And I don't think BMWNA would have on-tap access to the level of spec we are talking about.

The TCU is easily accessible in a saloon - it's the box marked U400 in the picture:



While it's frustrating, I think BMWNA's advice is pragmatic: interface between the phone and the car is working on a basic level for any BT-enabled phone, and a car is NOT an office. Period. Choose your PDA/phone for what it does on its own, or choose it from the approved BMW list if you want a certain level of guaranteed functionality (e.g. address book download), but asking of a manufacturer to provide compatibility with the gazillion variants that everybody else invents on supposed standards is too much, in my view.

ExGMan

I guess what the IT person was looking for was the manufacturer and model number of the BT unit or "car kit" as she termed it. From this she hoped to learn of the characteristics of the BT profile, etc. and find the right PDA phone, as noted to work with the car and with the email server.

Also, FWIW, Continental (the tire company) also has a large car electronics (they use the word "telematics") business. See:
http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/...lematic_en.html

As to a car not being an office, there are several million vehicle owners/users in the US who would disagree with that statement...

Rudy

Simple answer -- tell the IT person to get a BlackBerry...