BMW’s ConnectedDrive technology provides drivers with a wide variety of useful functions, including route planning, access to millions of music tracks, a concierge service and email. Courtesy BMW Group
BMW’s ConnectedDrive technology provides drivers with a wide variety of useful functions, including route planning, access to millions of music tracks, a concierge service and email. Courtesy BMW GrouShow more

Heads in the cloud with BMW’s latest innovations



It’s pretty much a fact of motoring life that if you want the latest innovations or technology in your car, you have to buy something premium.

And in the premium sector, it’s fair to say that BMW is often ahead of the (select and exclusive) pack. Its EfficientDynamics cars led the way in introducing more efficient models and its two “i” cars, the i3 and i8, have really amped up the electric-car revolution.

But it’s not just in the field of greener technology that the Bavarian carmaker has managed to get the jump on its rivals: its ConnectedDrive system offers customers of new BMW models the chance to sample the connected car, an innovation that we’ll all be a lot more familiar with in the next few years.

We suggested in a feature in these very pages a few months ago that the future of connected cars was closer than many of us previously thought and alluded to the fact that BMW had started to join the dots ahead of its rivals. The premium market is definitely where the connected car wars will initially be fought, with the battle gradually being taken to the mass market (although Ford has arguably already stolen a march with its Sync system). Also emerging on the market are myAudi and Mercedes Connect Me, but BMW has been embedding Sim cards in the telematics system of almost all the new cars it has built since April this year and making available to customers the wide range of services that ConnectedDrive offers.

The embedded Sims have enabled BMW to roll out its ConnectedDrive system to almost all the cars in its range and give BMW customers the opportunity to option it on their new car.

ConnectedDrive – available now in markets such as the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, and coming soon to the UAE – is a suite of in-car services that motorists can use to give them updated traffic information, internet-based searches, productivity functions, information to help improve the car’s efficiency, emergency-call services, the ability to control some of the car’s functions remotely, using connected mobile devices and a wide range of apps that can offer the likes of streaming music and social media.

When you take delivery of your new (or, in the future, second-hand) BMW, you have to first register on the ConnectedDrive portal (www.bmw-connecteddrive.co.uk). Once you’ve logged in, you’ll see a personal dashboard displaying details of your car and two menu headings – My Services and Settings.

My Services has a number of sub-menus that allow the owner to enable access to information from different sources. So, for example, BMW Routes not only allows the driver to plan trips of their own, but also access some that BMW has programmed itself, based around particular themes (for example, there are 55 European tours taking in food, architecture or just especially picturesque drives).

It’s also possible to choose up to 20 news sources that can be sent to the car. The stories will either be displayed or read out by the car’s own voice, which is slightly robotic, but generally ­understandable.

Your contacts are also accessible in the car, by importing a Microsoft Outlook address book. This can be used in conjunction with the car’s dictation function, which allows you to record messages or texts to send to contacts. You can, for example, inform someone that you’re stuck in traffic and will be late for a meeting, without having to illegally use your mobile phone. Talking to your car might initially make you feel like you’re one step away from wearing a foil-lined helmet, but pretty quickly you get into the whole sci-fi nature of it.

As a BMW owner, you can also establish an individual driver profile, where you can specify your seat position, preferred temperature in the car, the information shown in the head-up display, how long the lights of the car remain on when you reach your destination and get out of the car, whether information is displayed in metric or imperial units and door-lock settings. This profile can then be saved and exported to your car(s) using the BMW Online service or a USB stick. Even better, if you’re away from home and hire a BMW as a rental car, you can also export these settings to that vehicle. Essentially, any BMW with ConnectedDrive can become your own car.

Meanwhile, back on the portal, the Settings menu can, among other functions, allow you to link an email account or activate Remote Services, a smartphone app available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store that can, as the name suggests, allow you to operate some of the car’s functions from your phone. So if you’re having trouble finding your car in a massive anonymous mall car park or on an unfamiliar street, you can use your phone to flash the headlights. Alternatively, you can also lock or unlock the doors remotely and pre-cool (or heat) the car, either immediately or with a timer. Google Local Search on your phone can also find an address and send it to the car’s navigation system.

Once you’ve set up all the personalised functions of ConnectedDrive, it’s time to get acquainted with it in the car itself. The in-car interface is BMW’s iDrive system, which first debuted in the company’s cars in 2001. It has subsequently been refined and updated, now incorporating shortcut buttons around the rotary controller at the bottom of the centre console, voice control and a touchpad that uses writing recognition software to recognise the characters and convert them into letters when inputting a destination in the navigation system.

The main menu has eight sub-menus (Multimedia, Radio, Telephone, Navigation, Office, ConnectedDrive, Vehicle Information and Settings), which can be accessed via the iDrive ­controller.

The ConnectedDrive menu contains sub-menus, including information about servicing, any messages that you have sent to the car, smartphone apps, web radio, plus BMW Online, which features news, weather, email and personalised apps. These on-board apps will become increasingly important, not just within ConnectedDrive, but also to connected-car services fitted to other brands’ vehicles. BMW has a ConnectedDrive Store – in effect, its own App Store – that owners will be able to have an account for and download apps from at any time during their ownership of the car.

Also available is Info Plus, a 24/7 concierge service that connects you by phone to a personal assistant at a dedicated call centre. They can help you to find a nearby restaurant, information about flights or film screenings or even book a room at a local hotel. Any suggested locations can also be sent directly to the car’s navigation system.

If spending time in the car is part of your job, the Office option can help by accessing your calendar and sending emails, which you can dictate. The biggest drawback, however, is that it currently doesn’t work with Apple iOS, so ConnectedDrive doesn’t support iCal or Mail. Other Office functions include staying in touch with social media, so you can listen to Facebook status updates and your Twitter stream read out by the car’s voice.

Navigation is a core component, especially as real-time traffic information (RTTI) is available, thanks to the car’s embedded Sim, which enables the car to transmit GPS and speed information to a cloud server and, in return, receive data from other cars on the road. If you choose a dynamic-guidance option, you can enter a destination and the car will automatically route you along the most free-flowing route, saving a great deal of stress.

Multimedia options include Online Entertainment, which currently includes two streaming music services: Napster and Rara. BMW offers a package with Rara’s premium service that gives ConnectedDrive users an unlimited on-demand access to more than 28 million tracks (Napster works via a mobile ­device).

Looking at the complete package, it’s fair to say that ConnectedDrive offers a great deal to potential BMW buyers. And quite apart from having a wide range of additional features in the car, you’ll also be an early adopter of a technological advancement that is going to radically change our experience of being in a car over the next few years.

However, the big question is whether car buyers will be sufficiently attracted to the idea of the connected car to pay for it. The cost of the different media packages that contain ConnectedDrive services varies in price, according to the model, but the full package costs £1,890 (Dh11,175) in the UK, which is a guide to an equivalent price when it comes to the Middle East.

So is it worth making such a large investment for these services? If you look at it from a strictly financial perspective, having ConnectedDrive will add to the value of your car when you come to sell it (although you won’t recoup the whole amount) and make it easier to sell.

You will, however, have to ask if you will get the full use of the suite of available services. If you rack up a lot of miles, then RTTI alone will be invaluable, minimising the time you’re stuck in jams. If you use your car for work, the connectivity services will enable you to catch up with emails while travelling and save valuable time when you get back to your office. And if you’re a music fan and want access to a huge library of songs in your car, it also ticks that box.

Arguably the most persuasive argument in favour of optioning ConnectedDrive is that it allows you to do things in cars that were considered futuristic only a few years ago – useful, practical things that will improve your quality of life and help you make the most of the time spent in the car; time that many of us have often felt was wasted.

That has to be the kind of revolution many drivers have been waiting for.

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Results

ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):

First round
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x4) 6-4, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x7) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4

A State of Passion

Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

Rating: 4/5

The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

Three ways to get a gratitude glow

By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.

  • During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
  • As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
  • In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

ENGLAND TEAM

England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO

Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday 

Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD

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Going grey? A stylist's advice

If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”

ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

Starting at 10am:

Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang

Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)

Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)

Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera 

Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

MATCH INFO

Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')

Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')

Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
6. Sergio Perez (Force India) 50
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 45
8. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 39
9. Carlos Sainz (Torro Rosso) 29
10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
The specs: McLaren 600LT

Price, base: Dh914,000

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm

Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm

Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km

Schedule:

Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles

Know before you go
  • Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
  • If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
  • By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
  • Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
  • Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

 

One in four Americans don't plan to retire

Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.

Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.

According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.

According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.

For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.

"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."

When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared. 

"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.

She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.

 

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

 

 

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm

Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: from Dh317,671

On sale: now

About Tenderd

Started: May 2018

Founder: Arjun Mohan

Based: Dubai

Size: 23 employees 

Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital

Smart words at Make Smart Cool

Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.

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Lowest Test scores

26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955

30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896

30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924

35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899

36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932

36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902

36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020

38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019

42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946

42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888

DMZ facts
  • The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
  • It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
  • The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
  • It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
  • Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
  • Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
  • Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012. 
  • Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
End of free parking

- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18

- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued

- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket

- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200. 

- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200

- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300

'Skin'

Dir: Guy Nattiv

Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars

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Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule

Friday

First practice, 1pm 
Second practice, 5pm

Saturday

Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm

Sunday

Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now