Advertisement
Canada markets closed

  • S&P/TSX

    22,011.72
    +139.76 (+0.64%)
     

  • S&P 500

    5,070.55
    +59.95 (+1.20%)
     

  • DOW

    38,503.69
    +263.71 (+0.69%)
     

  • CAD/USD

    0.7321
    +0.0020 (+0.28%)
     

  • CRUDE OIL

    83.40
    +1.50 (+1.83%)
     

  • Bitcoin CAD

    90,644.12
    -212.41 (-0.23%)
     

  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,426.91
    +12.15 (+0.86%)
     

  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,335.70
    -10.70 (-0.46%)
     

  • RUSSELL 2000

    2,002.64
    +35.17 (+1.79%)
     

  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.5980
    -0.0250 (-0.54%)
     

  • NASDAQ futures

    17,656.50
    +306.50 (+1.77%)
     

  • VOLATILITY

    15.69
    -1.25 (-7.38%)
     

  • FTSE

    8,044.81
    +20.94 (+0.26%)
     

  • NIKKEI 225

    37,552.16
    +113.55 (+0.30%)
     

  • CAD/EUR

    0.6836
    -0.0014 (-0.20%)
     
MARKETS LIVE BLOG:

S&P 500, NASDAQ NOTCH BIG WINS WITH TESLA EARNINGS ON DECK

Tech-focused investors prepare for fresh wave of earnings highlighted by struggling Tesla

BMW Gesture Control Walkthrough: Video

Kirk Bell

If voice commands, touchscreen controls, a central dial, and steering wheel buttons aren't enough, BMW will soon have a new way to control the features of your infotainment system. With the release of the 2016 7-Series in October, BMW will debut its new Gesture Control feature.

DON'T MISS: 2016 BMW 7-Series First Drive

Gesture Control doesn't let you control the whole infotainment system. Instead it can recognize six preprogrammed gestures to accomplish a few select tasks. The gestures need to be made above the iDrive dial so a 3D sensor mounted above can recognize them.

Front seat occupants can turn up or down the volume by twirling a finger clockwise for up and counter clockwise for down. That's two gestures. The driver can take a call by pointing at the center screen or reject the call by wiping his/her hand to the right in a dismissive style. That's two more. The driver can also browse a 360-degree view of the vehicle on the center screen by pinching his/her fingers together and moving right or left. That's five.

ADVERTISEMENT

ALSO SEE: Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk: 0-60 In 2.7 Seconds, $79,999?

An additional preprogrammed gesture, the two-finger point (think of Curly trying to poke out Moe's eyes), can also be assigned to one of seven tasks: Guidance to home address, Mute/Unmute, Last used menus, Next title/station, Recent calls, Notifications, and Turn off/on control display.

We tried Gesture Control during the media drive of the 2016 7-Series and found that it works fairly well, but it's not bulletproof. The gestures usually got the job done, but occasionally required another try to get results. The volume up/down feature is also hard to modulate. How many finger twirls are needed to get the desired volume? It's inexact and it will require some practice to master.

CHECK OUT: Barracuda Coming Back As A Dodge?

For a video tutorial on this system, click on the accompanying video, in which Marcus Berendt, head of user experience at BMW, demonstrates the system.

_______________________________________

Follow Motor Authority on Facebook, Twitter, and Google +.