Comments on: Palm and Audi Launch Bluetooth Treo Handsfree System

Great! It seems you can also use the Audi as storage space!

wireless BT headphones that work with some palm model that is

"Do you know the difference between an error and a mistake? Anyone can make an error, but that error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."
-Grand Admiral Thrawn

the secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse

My PDAs: Visor --> Visor Neo (blue) --> Zire 71 --> Tungsten T3 (with 4 of 6 screws still remaining) ~?~> zodiac 2?

"Audi" has a certain cachet to it. BMW & Acura have completely taken the lead with factory-installed, OEM Bluetooth setups so Audi & Palm are obviously looking to steal a little of that thunder.

Amazing that ANY German car companies are amongt the first to adopt BT----they have always traditionally lagged behind in any number of "gadgets"----glass sunroofs, in-dash CD players, keyless entry, cupholders, MP3 playback capability, iPod/BT integration etc etc.

why will 99% of Palm users never drive an Audi?!

Well for one thing, statistically there are X many Palm users, and only Y many of those will own an Audi. I doubt that more than a small percentage of Palm users drive a Bonneville, either.

WIthout going TOO far OT:

As I said, BMW leads the pack amongst the European (especially German) manufacturers in offering "bells'n whistles" that cater to the fickle tastes of the American market. Mercedes always lags behind (some of their cars didn't have a standard in-dash CD player until the 2006 model year!) everyone, Audi is pretty much mid-pack (did you know their '06 Nav systems have dual SD slots for accepting mp3 audio--I doubt they can show jpegs on the screen, though!) and, as I said earlier, BMW's the best. They added mp3 playback (standard) & Bluetooth (optional) to their line for MY '04 I think.

All of them lag the Japanese (especially Acura) in terms of goodies...Acura was doing DVD-based Nav in '00 and some of the Germans are still clinging to CD-based systems even in the '06 MY.

I'd REALLY like to see Palm work with Mercedes to get some similar setup going. Most of the executive Treo owners I know are drive ML, E, & S-class Benzes. To date Mercedes doesn't offer any form of BT AFAIK--still their proprietary hardwired solution.

If you purchase the Audi through Palm, they'll only sell it to you without rear seats. You WILL have the option of 2 months of free rear seatbelts, which of course won't work unless you have rear seats.

HOWEVER, if you complain loud enough they will send you a free set of aluminum lawn chairs that they will swear up and down are exactly the same as rear seats. They'll even have an Audi logo on them, so it must be true...

Anyone who expected rear seats will be banished from the community for being a "power driver." After all, Audi's are just cars. Palm's marketing people have determined that NOBODY except a rare few would EVER need more than 1 seat, maybe 2 in a car. "You just use them to drive, right?"

Yeah!
Palm better switch to bundling the Treo with Citroen.

2005 J.D. Power and Associates' Vehicle Dependability Study

NAMEPLATE RANKING
Problems per 100 Vehicles
Lexus 139
Industry Average 237
Audi 312

JD Powers is a marketing firm. They do these "surveys" and then "license" the right to market the results to the companies that come out on top. Maybe some of what they do is legitimate, it's certainly a good way for them to make a lot of money, but as far as trusting any of their results I'll take a pass. Consumer Reports and other independent organizations that don't have a vested interest in the results of their testing are better sources of accurate information. If you are selling the results of your tests, you may format toward and favor the companies most inclined to buy your "results."