The Automotive 5.4 Firmware Upgrade and Blue&ME adaptor review

Firstly I would like to send out a big thank you to Chris and Sharon at Souls (souls.co.uk) for sending me an adaptor.

So, on with the review.

History

Since Blue&ME was introduced to the Fiat/Alfa Romeo range it has suffered from a lack of support for the iPod/iPhone range.
Whilst the iPhone would 'pair up' with the bluetooth and sync its' phonebook, it would not connect to the USB port for music nor would it even charge the phone.
The iPod was also problematic and although it would connect, due to the 'crazy' format that Apple uses to protect the content from copying, it would often play songs in the wrong order and display names of tracks and albums incorrectly. It was worse still for Mac users as their iPods (like the iPhone) wouldn't even connect via USB.

Enter the Automotive 5.4 upgrade and Blue&ME adaptor

Earlier this month Fiat group introduced a new firmware update for the Blue&ME modules in our cars and an adpator to be used with iPods/iPhones. The firmware upgrade is available from here:-
Fiat Blue&ME upgrade page
Sadly this page is in italian but you just need to select from the menu labeled 'Aggiornamenti' your Blue&ME type and then select 'Scarica l'aggiornamento software versione 5.4' to download the zip file. Then you need to extract the zip onto a USBkey, turn the car ignition to 'On' so that the radio can be turned on and then plug in the USBkey. If you have put the files correctly onto the USBkey the system should start the update and say it has done so.
IMPORTANT : You MUST wait (even though the system will restart a couple of times) for the system to tell you the update is complete and you may remove the USBkey, doing so before then could result in a 'broken' Blue&ME system.

A part of this upgrade is a Blue&ME USB 'dongle' which fits on the end of your iPod/iPhone cable before you plug it into the Blue&ME system. This 'dongle' is a very small and compact item and is available from Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealers worldwide. There are however limited stocks of this item at the time of writing (I got mine from Souls as mentioned at the start of this review).

Enough talk , review the damned thing already !

So , what does this upgrade do and does it do it well ?
Well the short answer is yes, it does exactly what you wanted it do do and does it very well.

Since upgrading to Automotive 5.4 and fitting the adaptor I can now use either my iPod or iPhone like any other USB music device.
IMPORTANT : It is ESSENTIAL that you follow the fitting guide as described in the booklet, the adaptor must be fitted to the iPod/iPhone before use in the car and ONLY connected to the Blue&ME system after the car is started. Failing to do this results in massive (45 mins or longer) wait times for the 'Media library to be compiled'. Connecting correctly will allow near instantaneous use of the library.

My car will now access the iPod/iPhone correctly, displaying correct album and track names and also playing tracks in the right order.
My iPhone will now charge when connected to Blue&ME.
My car will now instantly play the 'Now Playing' tune I last had active on my iPod/iPhone. This is especially 'cool' as it means I can listen to my iPod/iPhone on the headphones, jump into the car and connect up and continue to listen exactly where I left off.

This upgrade adds NO extra functionality to iPhone bluetooth connections. Your iPhone will still connect to Blue&ME wirelessly as it did before and sync the phonebook. It will still allow handsfree calls to be made and received.
It still will not allow SMS to be received or sent via the Blue&ME system.
Nor will it allow music to be 'streamed' via bluetooth.
Still, at least we can now play music and charge our phones

Hopefully this has answered most, if not all, of your questions.

Regards

Timbo

Nice review Tim, certainly taught me a few things there

as the music is played via the device now (the iPod) rather then the file loaded into the B&M system and decoded through B&M, you get the gapless playback feature found in most of the iPods...

which rocks

Yep, the entire upgrade is awesome IMO and is a must for any iPod/iPhone owner.

There are only 2 tiny disappointments and that is the need to unplug the adaptor and iPod/iPhone every time you start the car and, the lack of SMS support for the iPhone.
Word is that both issues are being worked on and will be 'fixed' soon

How much was the adaptor from Souls?

http://www.fiatforum.com/blue-me/199...k-blue-me.html

Just a quick addendum , after further research it appears that you don't need to plug the adaptor or cable each time you start the car. Only the iPod/iPhone needs to be connect after 'start up' to get instant library access

Timbo, do you find that after a call you need to unplug and plug back in the iPhone? I'm finding this, though im sure its something we can report to FIAT and get rectified, just how we report it is the interesting question.

Also, if you get an email the ding is a teeeny bit annoying. Might have to play about with my alert settings.

TBH Alex, I plugged my iPhone in once to confirm it was now working for the review. After that I have used my iPod for music via the USB and the iPhone for calls via bluetooth. So, never faced that problem.

Bug reporting to Fiat, no idea mate
I also would like to poke a couple of 'bugs' at them for fixing. Mainly the need to unplug and reconnect each time you start the car to avoid the 'library compiling loop'.

on fiats official site there is a forum monitored by fiat customer support staff, you may have some luck there? or try pm'ing the new member on here fiataccessories?

also worth noting that apps play through the speakers too, eg, iPhone 3G/3Gs + Navigon

OK , now that is golden info

Can an app like Navigon be run at the same time as the iPod app on the phone and it will attenuate the iPod volume to make a Navigon 'announcement' thorugh the Blue&ME system ?

Pretty much, yes. i use AHUDcam, its a basic MPH display and speedcam notifier, and the beeps and whatnots come through over the music quite nicely.

Looking forward to TOMTOM releasing their app and the cradle, as i notice its got a micro-usb socket in the side.

Hopefully be able to use TT still with B&M connected thru that.

Yeah, the iPod works in the backgroun on an iPhone, the NAvigon announcements were just a tad louder then the iPod so its clear,

Yeah, ill be getting TomTom soon as that hits the AppStore. Will be interesting to how it does against Navigon, which, tbh, is really fooking good! Wont be getting the cradle tho, see no need.

Is there any improvement in iPod functionality from just the software update alone and without the dongle?

I've got an iPod classic that works most of the time but I also use a 4gb USB stick that I can always leave in the car and I'm in two minds whether to buy the iPod adaptor for £65 or just get a 16gb USB stick for £20 and cope with not having all my music available all the time.