Smart Cars To Gain Advanced iPhone App, Other Cars To Follow?

Smart cars are amongst the hottest out there. They're tiny, they're green and they get amazing gas mileage. They're hard to get of here in the United States, but if your order has come in, here's something to accessorize it. Daimler has announced that a new app for the iPhone will launch in Q2 2010, making the Smart Drive solution one of the most advanced available for any car.

This is not the first time that an iPhone app has been attached to a car, but this is easily one of the more functional ones. Users would be able to dock their iPhone near the dash, dial up the application and enable the Smart driver to make hands-free calls, access and play back music, tune into an Internet radio station and even use a built-in navigation system. But that's just the beginning.

The app will also allow owners to get back to their parked Smart car, and considering that you can always update iPhone apps from a developer standpoint, there's always the chance that Smart owners will see even more features in the months to come. The Smart Cradle will be available at Smart dealers later this summer for around $300, while the app will be available for between $10 and $20 (or $50+ per year for the navigation add-on).

Two new elements developed by smart make the two-seater car and the

iPhone a perfect team:

* The smart cradle for the iPhone with control unit and microphone serves as a stylish and functional holder. It charges the iPhone and also functions as a hands-free system using the loudspeakers of the smart radio for sound output and automatically muting it when phone calls are made.
* The smart drive app for the iPhone is the world’s first drive app on the market to be developed by a car brand. It combines all the features needed on the road in a single app. All the functions are extremely easy to use thanks to extra-large buttons and extra-large letters.

Really smart – the clever app from smart

Listen to music, make phone calls and find your destination straight away – the smart drive app for the iPhone masters all this and makes city driving even easier and more pleasurable.

Media: Enjoy your entire private music collection with the app. Thanks to an integrated web radio function you can also listen to your favourite foreign radio stations and podcasts whenever you want. The song ID function of the app enables you to obtain information online about titles and singers of songs that are being played on the radio or on web radio.

Phone: The hands-free system and all important functions needed to make phone calls are automatically available as soon as the iPhone is put in the smart cradle. Keypad, contacts, favourites, call lists and other telephony functions are clearly arranged for simple in-car use.

Maps: The basic version of the app shows the vehicle’s position on a map of the area (”Follow-me maps”) and enables points of interest to be found by using the on-board database or off-board via Microsoft Bing. The navigation upgrade is a highlight and turns the iPhone into a full navigation system with maps for Europe or the USA – enabling navigation without being online. A smart guides you to your destination on the display of your iPhone. Street names are not only shown but also read aloud. In addition, traffic information can be called up in realtime so that you know where traffic jams are.

Assist: With the Car Finder your iPhone will automatically remember where you parked your car when it is removed from the cradle and it will find the way back for you after a day’s shopping in town. The app from smart also uses the GPS function of the iPhone for a further service. Should roadside assistance ever be needed, the driver can give his or her precise position via a direct line to the smart hotline.