See details and download pointers at http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showpost.php?p=915101&postcount=104

In fact, ISO is every bit as PC standard as it is Mac… the original MDF files are application-specific (i.e. you MUST have Alcohol 120%), but ISO can be burned by ANY CD burning program.

Another HUGE advantage to installing the V27 update on your MINI’s factory nav system is that it has a really cool new feature that automatically dismisses the silly Accept (or Nag) screen for you after about 3-5 seconds.

No more pushing the Accept button each time you get into your car. This is the way that it should of been from the get go.

WAY TO GO BMW!!!

My GB voice wasn’t available ’til I installed hacked v26 firmware — to get it back, I’ll have to use hacked v27 firmware which isn’t widely available yet.

Since your hardware CAME with the GB voice, this upgrade apparently won’t erase yours like it did mine.

IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOOOOOOL!

She loves it too.

My point EXACTLY! :-)

(C) 1999, VDO Car Communication Germany GmbH All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, recording taping, or information and retrieval systems) without the written permission of the copyright owner.

But if you live in an area not covered by the crappy map data, can they actually find you? ;)

What you are saying is totally true. However, I just don’t want folks going around with blinders on thinking that the firmware is not copyrighted material and so it’s completely okay to spread around and/or modify as they see fit as that’s just not true. BMW may not seem to mind, but that still doesn’t make it any more “legal” to do so.

With that said, and as I’ve already mentioned, I don’t give one single hoot about the firmware updates (nor the map data updates) being sperad around on the Internet. I say more power to them!

Again though, I just don’t want folks thinking that they’re not doing anything wrong when technically they are. I’m more than fine with my updates and I sleep just fine at night. V27 sure does look good on my MINI’s nav display and I’m really loving my 2006-2 map data as well! :-)

Thanks for your comments.

– MIKE

Who hacked it last time? Surely they’d just have to do it to v27 the same way?

Puck- Great minds think alike!

Think anyone will incorporate the British female voice into this image? I love this firmware, but it reverted my “v26 British woman hack” back to the USA accent that my ’05 Mini Cooper came with.

-Ed

—> V27 can be hacked the same way as V26 was :) Author: ucrewx5 Posted on: 2006-03-13

Also, http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showpost.php?p=860782&postcount=29

Yeah… what Kev-e-Kev said.

If anyone else has had success please let me know. I already miss my “straight on to join the motorway”. :(

Bummer!

Anyone know how to get it back? If I do the v26 again, will it come back without taking away the new perspective?

I think you’re being a little too paranoid about it. This is firmware that is completely and utterly useless to anyone unless they already own the intended hardware.

And if you are thinking that BMW/MINI will be concerned about “trade secrets” in the firmware, that’s a bogus answer too, because there’s nothing stopping a competitor from obtaining an already upgraded nav computer and downloading the firmware image anyway.

Seriously people… this is like a BIOS upgrade for a PC, or a firmware upgrade for other computer hardware. It only has one purpose – to improve the functionality of that hardware, to make it better… and more competitive with competing navigation products. BMW HAS to do this in order to continue to sell their Nav products to the general public. Companies like Garmin, Tom-Tom and Magellan have done their jobs (not to mention Japanese manufacturers like Lexus and Acura) and are keeping BMW competitive.

The only reason that dealerships won’t do the upgrade is because they are paranoid of breaking the Nav in the process, and therefore being held financially accountable for it. Think MINIUSA will gladly replace a Nav computer that wasn’t broken when the customer showed up? Nope. The dealer thinking is simply: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Distribution of the map disc… THAT will get the black car coming to your door… not necessarily a BMW either – whatever the NavTech police use. :)

Apple? Well, they always were overly and fiercely protective of ANYTHING of theirs… they have to be able to keep charging that high mark-up, don’t they? :) (Note for the record: I consider Apple products high quality… AND high priced, both at the same time. Whether that quality is worth that price is a personal decision.)

Don’t let them fool you… The nav O.S. software/firmware is indeed copyrighted material. Do you really think that a company like BMW would release all copyrights to something like this??? I think not!

I have no problems whatsoever with the software/firmware for the nav system being distributed via the Internet (nor the map data CDs/DVDs for that matter), but don’t kid yourself for a moment by thinking that it’s LEGAL to do so.

We’re just lucky that BMW doesn’t seem to mind (as indicated by the long time existence of sites like X5world.com who’ve had a hand in the distribution of the nav updates for many years now).

I just wish that other companies were the same. Apple’s all over my ars right now for this very thing (MAN I HATE APPLE!!!)

– MIKE (TOM)

This can only be done to MINIs/BMWs with the MKIV Navi. Which means your car uses DVDs for the map discs.

You can upgrade from any previous version.

Legals…As some folks have told me this is a legal thing to distribute because its not copyrighted like a disc with the maps on it.