MattD said:

Alexh365

Add me to the list - I'd like to get one but happy to wait. I first saw it in my local dealer when getting the brakes recall done on my 500. I couldn't understand it as all the details were in Italian!

Matt

Click to expand...

1- Alexh365
2- Typhoon2
3- MattD
4-<-------------- Could be your name here. Adapter for £65 Delivered!!!
5-
6-
7

SavellM said:

Call me stupid but i still dont fully understand what this dongle actually does?
I have order my 500 still waiting on delivery so thats probably why im confused...
Is the iPhone not actually able to connect to the USB jack?

Click to expand...

Ok , Blue&ME works with 'Windows formatted' devices for music.

I will start with iPhones , the iPhone has a MAC OS and so never worked with Blue&ME. Wouldn't even charge when plugged into the USB port. Blue&ME will turn the power off on the USB port if it doesn't see a 'valid' device, this is why iPhones won't even charge.

iPods are a little more complicated. If your iPod is 'Mac formatted' then it wouldn't work at all.
Even when it was 'Windows formatted' the iPod had limited functionality with Blue&ME and would display tracks/albums with 'edited' names and play them in the wrong order. This was due to the way Apple iTunes changes filenames and ID3tags (the standard way mp3 music is identified) when it Syncs the music to the iPod.

I can't claim to know what the adaptor actually does or how it works until I receive mine later this week.
But, here are a few 'assumptions' based on my tinkering so far:-

Automotive 5.3 had no Apple support and 'fluked' iPod music badly;
Automotive 5.4 has Mac support added;
Blue&ME adaptor has a 'chip' that reads the iPod/iPhone database for identifing the music rather than using the ID3tags.

End effect is that the update of your Blue&ME firmware with the Automotive 5.4 update (the one on Fiat Italy site) will add ability to read Mac devices. Adding the adaptor as well will then allow Blue&ME to read iPods properly and iPhones for the first time.

ooooo As if by magic I now have 2 more in stock

Question I have is, does the dongle allow the play back of the drm free ITunes+ files?

Should allow both DRM and non DRM.

TimboZero said:

Ok , Blue&ME works with 'Windows formatted' devices for music.

I will start with iPhones , the iPhone has a MAC OS and so never worked with Blue&ME. Wouldn't even charge when plugged into the USB port. Blue&ME will turn the power off on the USB port if it doesn't see a 'valid' device, this is why iPhones won't even charge.

iPods are a little more complicated. If your iPod is 'Mac formatted' then it wouldn't work at all.
Even when it was 'Windows formatted' the iPod had limited functionality with Blue&ME and would display tracks/albums with 'edited' names and play them in the wrong order. This was due to the way Apple iTunes changes filenames and ID3tags (the standard way mp3 music is identified) when it Syncs the music to the iPod.

I can't claim to know what the adaptor actually does or how it works until I receive mine later this week.
But, here are a few 'assumptions' based on my tinkering so far:-

Automotive 5.3 had no Apple support and 'fluked' iPod music badly;
Automotive 5.4 has Mac support added;
Blue&ME adaptor has a 'chip' that reads the iPod/iPhone database for identifing the music rather than using the ID3tags.

End effect is that the update of your Blue&ME firmware with the Automotive 5.4 update (the one on Fiat Italy site) will add ability to read Mac devices. Adding the adaptor as well will then allow Blue&ME to read iPods properly and iPhones for the first time.

Click to expand...

Thanks mate, thats really helpful.
Really appreciate the update.

When my car comes from the dealers in about 3 weeks, do you think i will have the latest Blue&Me Firmware?
Will they update it for me? Or do i have to ask them to update it?
And is there anyway on the cars HUD that I can see what version it will be running?

SavellM said:

Thanks mate, thats really helpful.
Really appreciate the update.

When my car comes from the dealers in about 3 weeks, do you think i will have the latest Blue&Me Firmware?
Will they update it for me? Or do i have to ask them to update it?
And is there anyway on the cars HUD that I can see what version it will be running?

Click to expand...

Reading the Italian site, it seems to say that new builds may already have the upgrade. Best way to find out is to get the iPhone dongle and if it doesnt work just download the update.

You don't want to have the update without an adaptor TBH , it if anything reduces iPod support without the adaptor. If you have ordered an adaptor then I would suggest asking the dealer to ensure that 'Automotive 5.4' is installed for you. If they don't understand or haven't got it then dont worry , its a piece of cake to get and install yourself.

As for DRM music , iTunes no longer has DRM music as it was removed a while back now. As for AAC support that is added with 5.4 and I would guess old music that was DRM'd will play. If it doesn't use iTunes to make a plylist of that album and then burn it to a CD, then rip it back as mp3 with iTunes and then no DRM

Hey stick me on the list for the adaptor please )

with the adapter will we be able to choose the song through the iPod itself or wouldit still be through media player?

Works via the car interface not the ipod one sorry.

ok cheers do you no by any chance how to change your ipod touch from mp3 player format to a portable hard disk one?

My iPhone 3GS 32GB is working perfect!! Thank you Chirs, arrived this morning!

Playlists now plays itunes/ipod generated lists and albums show as expected, as do artists etc.

stanleypnto said:

ok cheers do you no by any chance how to change your ipod touch from mp3 player format to a portable hard disk one?

Click to expand...

you cant put a touch into 'disk mode'

Ben.

BGreatholder said:

My iPhone 3GS 32GB is working perfect!! Thank you Chirs, arrived this morning!

Playlists now plays itunes/ipod generated lists and albums show as expected, as do artists etc.

Click to expand...

Glad you got it ok and it does the job for you! Thanks again for your custom!

BGreatholder said:

you cant put a touch into 'disk mode'

Ben.

Click to expand...

Thanks for letting me know

Chris@souls said:

Glad you got it ok and it does the job for you! Thanks again for your custom!

Click to expand...

Question: what about the loading time of the IPod time into the cars memory, did Fiat improve that as well?

1- Alexh365
2- Typhoon2
3- MattD
4- Plant38
5-<-------------- Could be your name here. Adapter for £65 Delivered!!!
6-
7

3 more confirmations and your on to the cheapest adaptor around!

Kraftwerk said:

Question: what about the loading time of the IPod time into the cars memory, did Fiat improve that as well?

Click to expand...

In theory they should have yes but there are 'discussions' going on in other forums on 'loading' times.

Whole point of this adaptor and B&ME update is to allow the car to read HFS partitions (Mac formated devices and iPhones) and to allow the car to read the Apple database on iPods/Iphones so that tunes are identified correctly.
If the car is reading the database , that is way faster than a scan of all music files and reading the ID3 tags. This does rather assume that B&ME doesn't continue to read the whole iPod contents after the database to confirm all files are there (which would be as slow as before adding an adaptor)

Has anyone a picture of what this new adapter looks like?

I'm a mac man too and may be interested as I have my old nano from my beetle I could use or my iPhone.

Cheers
Carl