It takes some doing to create a significant buzz among jaded bloggers, but BMW has managed to do just that (and just as it had planned, we assume). The minicontroversy centers on a special Flash page that teases what looks to be some kind of uberdevice that "touts the ability to play MP3s, DVDs and CDs, has USB and Bluetooth connectivity options, can recognize voice commands, and has a 65,000-color LCD to boot," according to Engadget.
The question, of course, is universal: What is it? And BMW has done little to answer it, naturally, thereby heightening the curiosity factor. Autoblog, for one, asked why an automaker would want to get into personal electronics.
It may not be as much of a stretch as it seems. As we all know, co-branding of everything from laptops to cell phones has been common among luxury car companies for some time. The test will be whether BMW is actually designing and manufacturing this device itself--whatever it is.