Accessing the car’s center console is always a bit of a stretch for passengers in the rear. Its hard for them to even tweak the radio, some car makers do offer features through screens in the headrests, but BMW has thought out of the box for its new Touch Command feature. The company says that Touch Command is “perfectly tailored” for passengers in the rear.
BMW is displaying Touch Command at the International Consumer Electronics Show 2015 in Las Vegas. The feature uses a Samsung tablet connected over Wi-Fi to the vehicle which then functions as the center console from where passengers can access both infotainment and comfort functions. The tablet isn’t fixed to anything so passengers can use it like they would use any normal tablet in home or at the office.
In the vehicle the Samsung tablet is stored in a crash-proof holder and is recharged through a snap-in adapter. There’s no waiting for an app to load app because all infotainment and comfort functions are permanently available because of the Wi-Fi connection.
It can also double as an extra screen for the onboard screen, so controls can be displayed on the tablet while nothing changes on the display fixed in the back of the headrest. That’s not all. This tablet can be used for browsing the internet as well provided that there’s a mobile network connection.
BMW hasn’t said when and in which of its vehicles will Touch Command be available for.
