Intel Atom in the Car, A Beemer Nonetheless

The afternoon keynotes at IDF are proving to be packed full of  information. Senior vice president of Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group Pat Gelsinger took the stage first and began by talking about embedded Internet and the possibility of the Internet being incorporated into almost everything we touch. He even showed off a motorcycle that had embedded GPS, Wi-Fi, WiMax, and a full PC. What is it with Intel and motorcycles today?

Gelsinger then shifted over to the car — a BMW to be specific. Intel and BMW have been working together to build a multimedia and computing system for the car, powered no other than Intel’s Atom chip. Yes, that same Atom which is found in our favorite netbooks including the Acer Aspire one ($649.83) and the MSI Wind.

In a quick demo of the integrated Atom-based in car computer, an LCD on the main dashboard not only provided GPS functionality but also was connected to the Net to bring in information about the surrounding environment (very Dash Express-like).

Don’t forget about the kids in the backseat! Touch LCDs on the back of the headrests allow for the “kids” to connect to the Internet and watch streaming video.