GoPro technology to be part of BMW, MINI cars

BMW and GoPro are teaming up to add GoPro camera into cars. The feature will be integrated and functional by July 2014.

With the vast collection of videos on YouTube taken by people in their car, it was only a matter of time until the OEMs started catering to the hobby. Recently, we learned that Chevrolet was launching an industry-first Performance Data Recorder system for its 2015 Corvette that lets you record video and audio, and interface it with numerous vehicle inputs and a professional-quality telemetry toolkit.

Now, BMW has announced a similar offering for its lineup, and that of MINI. The German automaker has teamed up with GoPro, the maker of some very handy cameras, and will soon allow users to integrate a GoPro camera with a car's infotainment system.
Starting in July 2014, the integration will be functional on all model year 2012 and later BMW and MINI models equipped with the respective BMW Apps or MINI Connected option. Users will also need a Wi-Fi-equipped GoPro camera (HERO3+ and later) and the GoPro App installed on an iPhone linked with the car.

Once everything is connected, users will be able to control the camera via the GoPro App using the car’s large central screen and menus. Menu choices appear to the left of the screen, and the camera’s actual field of view is displayed in near real-time while the vehicle is stationary. In addition to aiming the camera using the car’s large central screen, users may quickly choose between six pre-set camera modes: Leisure Drive Facing Out, Night Driving, Sport Drive Facing Out, Drive Camera Facing In, Winding Road Time-lapse, and Straight Road Time-lapse.
The camera’s recorder function may be started and stopped by the driver at will, and vital camera status indicators are displayed, including recording elapsed time, battery life, and Wi-Fi signal strength. The user may also toggle the camera’s battery-save mode.