When the government required all televisions sold in the states to have a UHF receiver, this same stupid argument went on. In the end, all tvs have them and we are not any worse off.
I'm surprised that noone has looked to the aviation world for help in consolidating complex features into a simple to use and fool proof UI design. Many new airplanes have thousands of functions available to the pilots, not just a few tens... Certain things are indeed relegated to LCD screens now, but those screens TOTALLY REPLACE GAUGES.
The biggest thing I've noticed in all these integrated navigation solutions is that they're all placed off center in the radio console area. This very easily leads to distraction. Instead, OEM's should look to the very precious and low distraction area of the gauge cluster which to this day remains taken up by a gigantic speedometer and usually an equally gigantic tachometer (even on automatics).
Why not change these gauges to a wide CRT with graphical gauge representations or if the user decided, digital gauges. Then, have the various navigation systems place their graphics into this area. The speedo and tach could then be decreased in size. To some extent this would require the user to learn that the speedo and tach would not ALWAYS be in the front and center spot on the dash, but if they're learning about the navigation center, they're probably gonna accept a small deviation from norm on the gauges.
As for physical knobs and buttons and other ui, certain things should remain consistent and in the physical world. Being able to actuate a control by knowledge of its placement and its feel are extremely important in high speed driving. Important safety related functions like the parking/emergency brake should be cable activated(by foot or hand) and I'm amazed that DOT let this one go on the BMW. Controls for basic temp & radio volume should also remain physical simply because sometimes you need fast access to either one of those. Gear shift controls are a hotly debated issue. The stick doesnt seem like the most intuitive or quickly useable gear shifting device(easy to accidentally shift to the wrong gear). I'd prefer a push button gear shift with a selector to use steering column mounted paddle shifters for auto-stick driving.
Overall, I think BMW has missed the boat on the UI design and should really take this year to perfect the system, and move a significant amount of controls back to physical ones. I wonder if they had anyone actually drive the car for more than a few seconds without shifting their focus to the idrive display. I'd hate to be focusing on doing something to the idrive computer while stuck in fast stop & go traffic on the LIE, cars can be going 70mph one second and then not be moving in the blink of an eye, this system seems to be asking for a rear end accident to happen.
There are single DIN GPSes but unfortunately you will probably not like their prices, as they are designed for small aircraft, and being FAA rated means that they cost several thousand.
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It's a laptop that doesn't move.
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When the government required all televisions sold in the states to have a UHF receiver, this same stupid argument went on. In the end, all tvs have them and we are not any worse off.
-Dan
I'm surprised that noone has looked to the aviation world for help in consolidating complex features into a simple to use and fool proof UI design. Many new airplanes have thousands of functions available to the pilots, not just a few tens... Certain things are indeed relegated to LCD screens now, but those screens TOTALLY REPLACE GAUGES.
The biggest thing I've noticed in all these integrated navigation solutions is that they're all placed off center in the radio console area. This very easily leads to distraction. Instead, OEM's should look to the very precious and low distraction area of the gauge cluster which to this day remains taken up by a gigantic speedometer and usually an equally gigantic tachometer (even on automatics).
Why not change these gauges to a wide CRT with graphical gauge representations or if the user decided, digital gauges. Then, have the various navigation systems place their graphics into this area. The speedo and tach could then be decreased in size. To some extent this would require the user to learn that the speedo and tach would not ALWAYS be in the front and center spot on the dash, but if they're learning about the navigation center, they're probably gonna accept a small deviation from norm on the gauges.
As for physical knobs and buttons and other ui, certain things should remain consistent and in the physical world. Being able to actuate a control by knowledge of its placement and its feel are extremely important in high speed driving. Important safety related functions like the parking/emergency brake should be cable activated(by foot or hand) and I'm amazed that DOT let this one go on the BMW. Controls for basic temp & radio volume should also remain physical simply because sometimes you need fast access to either one of those. Gear shift controls are a hotly debated issue. The stick doesnt seem like the most intuitive or quickly useable gear shifting device(easy to accidentally shift to the wrong gear). I'd prefer a push button gear shift with a selector to use steering column mounted paddle shifters for auto-stick driving.
Overall, I think BMW has missed the boat on the UI design and should really take this year to perfect the system, and move a significant amount of controls back to physical ones. I wonder if they had anyone actually drive the car for more than a few seconds without shifting their focus to the idrive display. I'd hate to be focusing on doing something to the idrive computer while stuck in fast stop & go traffic on the LIE, cars can be going 70mph one second and then not be moving in the blink of an eye, this system seems to be asking for a rear end accident to happen.
/Dan
Yes, but it DOES remove oxygen from the air. If I am not mistaken, we do STILL need that infernal substance to breathe....
There are single DIN GPSes but unfortunately you will probably not like their prices, as they are designed for small aircraft, and being FAA rated means that they cost several thousand.