Development history
Fiat and Microsoft first announced their partnership in July 2004, stating they would jointly "develop innovative telematics solutions for motorists" to "enable drivers to communicate effectively with the outside world." [1] Magneti Marelli would manufacture the hardware, based on a reference design set by Microsoft and Fiat. [1] The system was developed to be compatible with most mobile phones and media players. [2] [3] [4]
The new Blue&Me system debuted on the Alfa Romeo 159, Alfa Romeo Brera, and Fiat Grande Punto, which were shown at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. [5] By 2007, Fiat were reporting that 20% of customers were requesting Blue&Me, and had announced an integrated navigation system, Blue&Me Nav. [6]
In 2012, Fiat rolled out the successor Uconnect 5.0 system, which was also powered by Windows Embedded Automotive. Uconnect 5.0 was developed by Continental Automotive Group and was first deployed in the Fiat 500L. [7]
Key features
Initial features included Bluetooth and USB connectivity to mobile phones and personal media players. It also provided a hands-free system, allowing a user to control features by voice commands after alerting the system by depressing a button mounted on the steering wheel. [5] [8] Speech recognition and text-to-speech technology from Nuance Communications was used to support nine different languages, including Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish. [5] [9] Blue&Me could recognize user voice commands to place calls, read SMS messages, and control media player functions. [9] Because Blue&Me does not support A2DP, audio cannot be streamed directly to the system from a Bluetooth device; the media device must instead be connected via the USB port or a USB Bluetooth receiver supporting A2DP could be used.
Using an open architecture, Blue&Me was an updatable application platform, allowing modular add-on functionality so the system could evolve by adding new functions. [2] After its introduction, the system was expanded to include an SMS Reader, a driving coach application (marketed as eco:Drive), navigation capabilities (marketed as Blue&Me Nav, Blue&Me MAP, and Blue&Me Tomtom), and a fleet management capability (marketed as Blue&Me Fleet), to connect a central computer with a fleet vehicle in real time, where data is transmitted automatically to allow real-time mileage and operating cost analysis.
Navigation
Blue&Me Nav is an enhanced system which adds GPS navigation features. [10] It utilizes maps provided by Navteq or Tomtom. At the 2007 Bologna Motor Show, Fiat presented a new navigation extension to the Blue&Me system called Blue&Me Map, which includes a separate portable navigation unit. [11]
eco:Drive
eco:Drive was first presented as a preview at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2007 and then officially unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. It is a new service component which offers the ability to track driving efficiency. It collects data about CO
2 emissions and fuel consumption and saves them to a USB key, which can then be connected to a PC for analysis. [12] It is now available for Fiat 500, Fiat Linea, Fiat Grande Punto and Fiat Bravo. Fiat Automobiles announced that in 2009 eco:Drive will be available for every car equipped with Blue&Me.
Known problems
A flashing odometer could indicate a problem with the unit. Especially If it is not reading USB or Bluetooth is not working. Some owners have also reported that a malfunction can cause a power drain from the battery, causing the battery to discharge in a couple of days if the vehicle is not driven.
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