Special thanks to Sabrina (Mercedes-Benz USA) for sending us the press release and screen shot. This new service offers a lot of positive functions and perks for current and future customers of Mercedes-Benz, and opens the door for future additional features for sure.
From your BlackBerry® Interact with your Mercedes-Benz vehicle and access mbrace services conveniently from the palm of your hand.
Forgot to lock your car door or locked your keys inside your vehicle? Lock and unlock vehicle doors using the Mercedes-Benz mbrace mobile application. Simply enter your mbrace account number and secure PIN, and select Remote Door Lock* or Remote Door Unlock to send the request to your vehicle.
Can’t remember where you parked your Mercedes-Benz? View your vehicle’s current location on a map by selecting the Vehicle Finder feature. The mbrace mobile application sends a signal to your vehicle requesting its GPS coordinates and receives a response back telling you where it is**. There’s no need to remember to mark your location prior to leaving your vehicle.
Need to contact your Mercedes-Benz dealer or find a local dealership in your area? Select Dealer Information to view your dealer’s contact information and search for nearby Mercedes-Benz dealership
Press Release Excerpts:
Specifically, mbrace personifies “connected services” by marking the first time drivers can connect with their vehicles via BlackBerry™ Devices, allowing them to do such things as remotely lock or unlock their vehicles or locate their vehicles in crowded parking lots or on city streets through a map representation on their smart phones. The flexibility of combining HTI’s platform with today’s leading smartphone offerings allows for a continual stream of in-vehicle innovation throughout the life of a vehicle’s ownership.
The mbrace system offers 18 features:
(five of which are part of a premium package) aggregated in the categories of safety & security, navigation & destination planning and convenience. The services can be accessed quickly and easily from within the vehicle or from any computer through a personalized web portal.
The standard mbrace safety and security features include:
Automatic Collision Notification; SOS/Emergency Calling; Safe Ride; Roadside Assistance Connection (in-vehicle and mobile application); Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance; Automatic Alarm Notification; Vehicle Information and Crisis Assist. Navigation services include a Search & Send feature. Standard convenience features include: Remote Door Unlock and Lock (remote application), Vehicle Finder (via mobile application), and Dealer Connect (mobile application). A premium service – mbrace PLUS – adds such features as Location-Based Weather, Location-Based Traffic, agent-assisted Route Assistance, Point-of-Interest Destination Download (through agent), and “Mercedes-Benz Concierge,” which functions much as a hotel concierge making restaurant reservations, locating stores and services, cash wire assistance, etc.
You can pick up the Free Mercedes-Benz mbrace application http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/4009
More information on Mercedes-Benz and its products can be found at www.mbusa.com and www.maybachusa.com.
Rumors of an 11.6 inch MacBook Air refresh are nothing new at this point, but AppleInsider says it's confirmed a smaller version of Apple's ultraportable is coming at next weel's "Back to the Mac" event, and that units are rolling off factory lines right now in preparation for near-immediate delivery. AI also says it's been told that the revised machine will feature a novel new storage system called "SSD Card" that looks like a stick of RAM -- a smaller form factor that would obviously allow the new Air to be even smaller, and possibly sport instant-on wake times, something that's been rumored from other sources this week as well. We'll be at the event live next week so we'll see what happens -- keep it locked right here.
