fortwo

smart iPhone App for The smart fortwo electric drive

Words Chris Danielson | June 14, 2010
smart iPhone App integrates phone calls, music and navigation while offering multifunctional smart cradle with smart style
Words Chris Danielson June 14, 2010

smart is the first car brand to develop its own drive app for the iPhone. Together with the smart cradle for the iPhone the popular phone becomes a multimedia trip computer that is optimised for the smart fortwo in terms of function and design. The smart drive app for the iPhone has all the important features needed whilst driving: phone calls via hands-free system, your own extensive music collection, internet radio and a clever navigation system with a special smart touch. There are also smart extras – for example the Car Finder that will guide you back to wherever you parked your car.

Furthermore, the smart drive app for the iPhone can be tuned with a further function tailored to the smart fortwo electric drive. This shows customers the current charging status of the smart fortwo electric drive’s battery, the distance that can be covered, nearby charging stations and the distance to them. If the smart fortwo electric drive is plugged into a socket, the app shows how long it will take to fully charge the battery again and the time at which this will be completed.

The new smart drive app for the iPhone is simple to operate and features extra large buttons among other things. The new app makes urban mobility even easier and more fun – the declared objective of the smart philosophy.

smart has prepared the way for modern city vehicles with lots of innovative ideas and has redefined urban mobility. And Apple brought new ideas to mobile phones with the iPhone. The new smart drive kit for the iPhone is now bringing the lifestyle phone to the smart fortwo as a multi-talented companion. Marc Langenbrinck, Managing Director smart brand and Head of Sales & Marketing smart says “The smart fortwo and the iPhone are both lifestyle icons. This is why the smart drive kit is ideal for our smart community.”

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 use.

Map. 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 via both the on-board database and off-board using Microsoft’s “Bing” search engine. 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. 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.

Available from the summer

smart driving with the smart drive kit for the iPhone will be possible from June 2010. The smart cradle for the iPhone will be available from smart dealers at a price of €240 (German list price with VAT plus fitting costs). The smart drive app for the iPhone can be downloaded from the App Store at a one-off price of €9.99 for the basic version (price in the European countries where it will be available) and $9.99 in the USA. The navigation upgrade with up-to-date maps costs €49.99/$49.99 per year and will be available in the second half of 2010.