AAIdrive
AAIdrive copied to clipboard
BimmerGestalt
Better marketing visibility
Hey there and thanks for this awesome project!
While I haven't received my car yet and couldn't test the app (will get it next week and will play around with it a lot 😄) I think this project is amazing - bringing basic Android Auto-like features to the iDrive interface sounds amazing!
However, I did stumble upon this project basically by chance (I think it was a random link on a forum somewhere). The name "AndroidAutoIdrive" also brings up a lot of "Android Auto iDrive official support" results on Google, with it coming for new cars later this summer.
That being said, many cars (including my BMW X1 with iDrive 6) will not get the official Android Auto, so I think that this project could get a big boost with a name/branding change.
I have a bit of free time due to the current situation, and I would love to volunteer to create a logo and help a bit with the website/UI design. (haven't done any native Android programming, but have dabbed a bit in React Native if that helps)
Some proposals for a name, off the top of my head:
- DroidDrive
- AndroiDrive
- Android Infotainment System
as well as some proposals that I liked from a name generator:
- Shiny Wagon
- iDroid
- bmwn (or bwmown)
(obviously I'm not good with names 😅)
Thanks! I greatly appreciate the shared excitement :)
You might have noticed the docs folder, this contains the Github Pages setup using Jekyll which I currently only use for a gallery, but you could probably come up with much better ideas for it. I do have a custom icon already which could probably be used for a logo. I haven't been able to think of what to post for additional web content (my instinct is to explain everything in-depth but I know most people won't want to read it), but if you have ideas, feel free to try them out and submit some PRs!
I haven't been focusing much on marketability because I've been incorporating soft-launch feedback into the user experience for now. This is why, for example, I've only posted to the Bimmerfest forum and not to the Play Store. I want to polish away the rough spots that trigger the most questions and confusion, before reaching out for even more users.
The name is indeed a little bit awkward, now that they've announced Android Auto for IDrive 7, but as part of the above soft-launch idea, there isn't much urgency in fixing it. I used the Android Auto name because it uses the same APIs and adds music and notification control, but users seem to expect the Maps experience which I can't replicate, so I do see value in increasing the separation there. Definitely something to think about before a real launch happens!
Feel free to reach out directly for quicker discussion. Enjoy your new car too!
I didn't notice the Jekyll setup, will look into it 😀 I have used jekyll before, and I would have a couple of ideas for a presentation site that makes it more clear what the app does, a more "marketing" explanation 😅
I get why the branding part hasn't been a huge priority, but I see this as a good thing, as it allows for more time to really think this through.
I could whip up a basic structure for a landing page in a couple of days and post it here. I'm also open to a Skype call if you would like to have a brainstorming on that, or we can document branding stuff here so others can chip in with feedback 😁
Can't wait to try out the app when my car arrives - I'll try helping out more once I can test stuff properly 🚙
LE: regarding tweaks and ensuring the app is running smoothly, I can also try my hand with the UI design. I've only done React and web design up to now, but have worked on some mobile websites and was planning to try out some native Android frontend at some time anyway 😅
I like how the name starts with A, for display in sorted lists 😉 What do you think of AAIdrive or AAIdriveNBT? It keeps the same acronym that I see being used in forums, it doesn't directly imply Android Auto (could also mean Android Apps), the AA prefix tacitly associates it with other unofficial Android Auto adjacent projects, and it emphasizes the Idrive or Idrive NBT very prominently.
The app has been renamed to BimmerGestalt/AAIdrive. A basic project webpage has been created at https://bimmergestalt.github.io/ (github source), ready to host a fancier website! Because of how the repos are laid out, the subdirectory of https://bimmergestalt.github.io/AAIdrive is technically a different Jekyll install, but it should be easy enough to make them appear seamlessly integrated.
I also bought the bimmergestalt.io domain, currently as a redirect to bimmergestalt.github.io but it could be used as a custom domain for Github Pages. Currently I'm leaning towards the full bimmergestalt.github.io name to emphasize the open-source aspect.