BMW lets you play in the traffic

For someone who battles with the intricacies of the company microwave, I probably wasn't the best person to send along to the 2014 BMW ConnectedDrive media conference last week at the company's headquarters in Midrand.

But with Thomas Falkiner having the tough job of travelling to Le Mans, France, for the 24-hour endurance race, it was up to me to get to grips with terms such as RTTI (real-time traffic information) and applications-ready functions, and then delve into the BMW ConnectedDrive Store.

Here you can ''activate/deactivate the products while reconfiguring them or extending their running periods''.

BMW ConnectedDrive is nothing new. It was first launched in 1972 - but these latest enhancements are meant to make the services more easily accessible and that dead time you have in traffic while driving home more productive.

Basically, if you choose, your car can become an extension of the office with a number of functions safely performed while sitting behind the wheel.

The seven main features of the new package are:

Intelligent Emergency Call: This sends details such as precise vehicle location and detection of accident severity to a call centre so that emergency services can be dispatched immediately. This will be offered as standard in all BMW models in South Africa;

Teleservices: Where the entire vehicle's service data is monitored;

Real-time traffic information: up-to-date information about the traffic and how to avoid traffic jams;

Concierge services: phone the call centre for a requested point of interest and the reply will be sent directly in to the navigation system;

ConnectedDrive services: here you can check your Facebook and Twitter accounts, tune in to a radio station on the other side of the world, or find out the weather forecast at your holiday destination;

Remote services via smartphone: if, like me, you forget where you parked your vehicle, simply use your smartphone to find it. And if it's out in the open in direct sunlight, you can set the climate control so the car is nice and cool on your arrival; and

Internet: stay up to date with your e-mail and Google information while on the move.

From next month, all BMW models will be fitted with a built-in sim card as standard. To provide flexibility, you can choose which mobility services you want and for what period of time - from just one month to one year or longer.

Nice features to have, I must admit, but for someone who suffers from technophobia, give me an AC/DC CD to listen to and my drive home is complete.