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I just finished entering a dozen addresses and added them into the favorite list in 4 cars, including the E300. In the E300, I stopped at the 5th address due to the horrendous data entry methods.
I'll be the first to say that the UI is brilliance, the graphics are well designed and beautiful, the touch pads are incredibly innovative, and the COMAND system is a joy to use--for music, settings, and phone calls. But when it comes to simply entering a bunch of addresses and store them in the favorite list, the lack of touch screen and the required extra steps make COMAND the least user friendly for me, YMMV. On top of this, there's no dedicated favorite list for the navigation function. The Global Favorite list which contains other items beside addresses maxed out at 20 items!
I combed through the manual and tried to learn the voice commands. The experience was still a frustrating one! Beside, I did not have to hit the books for the other cars. Just my 2 cents.
I think you can use v-card export on to an SD card and bulk import "contact" address/phone information that way. This is on page 241 of US manual "MY17_E_Class_Sedan_Operator_Manual" this is a PDF from MBUSA website.
Or, you could just use you phone address database, if you have entered addresses as well as phone numbers.
Either way it is a good excuse to clean up your source database!
Dealerships sometimes have competent sales people who can run you through this procedure, as well.
I think you can use v-card export on to an SD card and bulk import "contact" address/phone information that way. This is on page 241 of US manual "MY17_E_Class_Sedan_Operator_Manual" this is a PDF from MBUSA website.
Or, you could just use you phone address database, if you have entered addresses as well as phone numbers.
Either way it is a good excuse to clean up your source database!
Dealerships sometimes have competent sales people who can run you through this procedure, as well.
Hope this is helpful.
Thank you. Learned something new today!
I'll explore the options in using the contact list when my wife gets home tonight.
for safety purposes, MB will not have a touch screen, not right now i guess. MB engineers wants our hands glued to the steering wheel as much as possible hence all the controls on the steering wheel.
theres always a better/easier way to do things in your car, you just have to find out and learn and try not to get frustrated right away. drop by your local dealership and ask, read the manual, search on google or ask in this forum.
I want the old telephone style 10-key back, at the very least. Because I'm on the road for work, the car is my office. If I'm in the car, I'm probably on the phone. Trying to enter account #s and auth codes via touchpad is a no-go for me.
I want the old telephone style 10-key back, at the very least. Because I'm on the road for work, the car is my office. If I'm in the car, I'm probably on the phone. Trying to enter account #s and auth codes via touchpad is a no-go for me.
not condemning you for this as i am as guilty but...
That depends highly on the person. When someone forgets that driving is the #1 task at hand, then you've got a problem. Anyone who has been on the phone with me at any length over the years has invariably heard me say, "hang on a second", or "let me call you back", or had me go silent for a few seconds while dealing with the traffic situation at-hand. Likewise, there are plenty of situations where I won't take calls due to conditions. Phone calls always mean I hike over to the right lane and drop down a good 5-10 mph and increase following distance.
Conversely, I have been in the car with plenty of people who I prefer never take a phone call while driving. I've had to pull the handbrake of other another driver's car from the passenger seat because they were too distracted by being on the phone. And no, the driver was NOT a woman.
That depends highly on the person. When someone forgets that driving is the #1 task at hand, then you've got a problem. Anyone who has been on the phone with me at any length over the years has invariably heard me say, "hang on a second", or "let me call you back", or had me go silent for a few seconds while dealing with the traffic situation at-hand. Likewise, there are plenty of situations where I won't take calls due to conditions. Phone calls always mean I hike over to the right lane and drop down a good 5-10 mph and increase following distance.
Conversely, I have been in the car with plenty of people who I prefer never take a phone call while driving. I've had to pull the handbrake of other another driver's car from the passenger seat because they were too distracted by being on the phone. And no, the driver was NOT a woman.
sadly, thats what everybody says before they kill someone by accident.
but if youre saying youre better than most so be it. but it doesnt have any difference as somebody saying "im a safe drug user coz i can control myself."
goodluck mate. im just glad we dont share the same road.
that is the right thing to do.
and as i mentioned, im guilty of taking/making calls whlist driving myself, i just wouldnt post oh-so-proudly about it.
If you're ever over here, make sure you avoid being around any LARGE trucks. Just about every long-haul trucker I know has a BlueParrot Bluetooth headset on while driving.
One's perception of risk is a relative thing. What one culture perceives as dangerous, another sees as normal. Threats are all around us. Risk (the statistical chance that a threat will actually happen) is relatively low. Humans are a very poor judge of risk overall.
Most Americans would never do something as deadly as ride a bicycle without a helmet. Go to Denmark and try to find one person who does. Similarly, most American mothers would never let their little snowflakes out of their sight (They'll get stolen or raped!) or outdoors for any length of time (They'll get skin cancer!). Yet, the Danes very often will leave their prams, with a child still in it, outside of restaurants & stores, even in the winter.
I love watching my British/Aussie friends when they're over here. Most of us have some sort of electrical or stage background and they're sh*t-scared of our ungrounded, tiny little plugs & receptacles. There aren't even fuses in them! and any child can touch live contacts and get shocked! Oh, the horror! They're also donning anti-fall harnesses, safety glasses, hard hats, and gloves while us Yanks (Tanks) are already up on the truss wondering where they disappeared to.
Likewise, I doubt anyone who lives in Venezuela is particularly concerned whether the food they're able to get their hands on is GMO-free / organic.
It's all a matter of risk as you see it.
I'll leave you with this: I have friends in Chicago who WON'T travel to Europe because "it's too dangerous" due to the terrorist attacks. If you're not aware, Chicago has a major gun violence problem. As in 2,982 people shot, 510 people killed YTD, in one U.S. city. For reference, ALL of the European terrorist attacks add up to ~357 injured, 100 killed across Europe.
If you're ever over here, make sure you avoid being around any LARGE trucks. Just about every long-haul trucker I know has a BlueParrot Bluetooth headset on while driving.
One's perception of risk is a relative thing. What one culture perceives as dangerous, another sees as normal. Threats are all around us. Risk (the statistical chance that a threat will actually happen) is relatively low. Humans are a very poor judge of risk overall.
Most Americans would never do something as deadly as ride a bicycle without a helmet. Go to Denmark and try to find one person who does. Similarly, most American mothers would never let their little snowflakes out of their sight (They'll get stolen or raped!) or outdoors for any length of time (They'll get skin cancer!). Yet, the Danes very often will leave their prams, with a child still in it, outside of restaurants & stores, even in the winter.
I love watching my British/Aussie friends when they're over here. Most of us have some sort of electrical or stage background and they're sh*t-scared of our ungrounded, tiny little plugs & receptacles. There aren't even fuses in them! and any child can touch live contacts and get shocked! Oh, the horror! They're also donning anti-fall harnesses, safety glasses, hard hats, and gloves while us Yanks (Tanks) are already up on the truss wondering where they disappeared to.
Likewise, I doubt anyone who lives in Venezuela is particularly concerned whether the food they're able to get their hands on is GMO-free / organic.
It's all a matter of risk as you see it.
I'll leave you with this: I have friends in Chicago who WON'T travel to Europe because "it's too dangerous" due to the terrorist attacks. If you're not aware, Chicago has a major gun violence problem. As in 2,982 people shot, 510 people killed YTD, in one U.S. city. For reference, ALL of the European terrorist attacks add up to ~357 injured, 100 killed across Europe.
What have I started???
All kidding aside, my gripes were mainly the ridiculous process COMAND requires to simply add an address to the favorite list at the console. By the way, this was done in the safety of my garage for a planned trip. Here are some of the hurdles I encountered.
1/ Half the time, COMAND would not add an address entered via voice command. The ones I added manually have no issue. Same identical addresses - Go figure!
2/ I tried all data entry modes, the steering wheel pad, the console touch pad, and the rotary wheel. None is efficient and error free as a touch screen.
3/ You have to go through extra menu screens because of the above. If you make a mistake, go back to square one.
4/ After the address is entered, COMAND wants to start the route guidance. You can add the address to the history list but there's NO option for adding the address to the favorite list.
5/ You have to back track to the Destinations menu, select the History List, select the address, then you can add it to the Favorite list.
6/ Rename - Manual entry, limited number of characters forcing name abreviation.
See the insanity there? When I perform the same task in the Subaru, Honda, and Volvo cars, it goes like this.
1/ Go to Navigation --> Enter Destination
2/ The auto suggestion cuts the tapping to minimum.
3/ In the resulting map screen, tap on More --> Add to favorite.
4/ Rename - Long name is OK
[QUOTE=theres always a better/easier way to do things in your car, you just have to find out and learn and try not to get frustrated right away. drop by your local dealership and ask, read the manual, search on google or ask in this forum.[/QUOTE]
I agree with with your point. The MB tech specialist gave me a few strong cautions about the Drive Pilot features when we went through the vehicle pick up process. One of them is to use the Google map when I can. I didn't take that seriously until now. It's the asinine steps that I described in this post in comparison with the elegance of the COMAND's UI that gets to me. I learned the system for the past 2 months and realized that there's no getting around the hurdles that MB has programmed in the car.
Originally Posted by beejAMG
for safety purposes, MB will not have a touch screen, not right now i guess. MB engineers wants our hands glued to the steering wheel as much as possible hence all the controls on the steering wheel.
IMHO, that argument is open for debate. The touch screen would be shred into pieces by now by the lawyers if that argument stands up in court.
^nobody said anything about touch screen being illegal so no legality issues on that.
its a safety feature. if you have a touch screen, you have to take your eyes off the road and your hand off the wheel as oppose to having all your controls on your thumb on the steering wheel. no court/lawyer scenario, more like common sense.
id like to think that MB engineers think about this lil stuff more than their jap counterparts. its a touch screen, phones have had it for over a decade now, you dont really think MB dont have the capability to have it in their cars if they wanted to right?
^nobody said anything about touch screen being illegal so no legality issues on that.
I was referring to the safety aspect of implementing touch screens in automobiles. There would be a slew of class action law suits if touch screen is a safety hazard as it's made out to be. I live in California where the big brother just loves to step in and protect its citizens from any perceived danger such as using the touch screen while you drive. None of these has happened up to now, so touch screen is here t stay and I won't be surprise when you find one in an MB car in the future.
Originally Posted by beejAMG
its a safety feature. if you have a touch screen, you have to take your eyes off the road and your hand off the wheel as oppose to having all your controls on your thumb on the steering wheel. no court/lawyer scenario, more like common sense.
What about all of the other MB vehicles without the new touch pad? Or the ones that have add on 3rd party BT devices? Or stick shift cars? Taking your hand off the wheel is not the issue. Getting distracted is the real issue, i.e. texting, applying makeups, eating while driving . You spend more time looking at the screen to make sure that the cursor was moved to the correct alphabet as you repeatedly swipe the thumb pad comparing to glancing at the screen and tap the alphabet on a touch screen- Which is more distractive?. The thumb pad is great for navigating music and phone functions, but terrible for adjusting the vehicle settings and entering addresses while you're driving. The experience was still frustrating for me even when the car was standing still in my garage. That's my gripes.
Originally Posted by beejAMG
id like to think that MB engineers think about this lil stuff more than their jap counterparts. its a touch screen, phones have had it for over a decade now, you dont really think MB dont have the capability to have it in their cars if they wanted to right?
First off, "jap" is a derogatory word to many people on this side of the pond . I'm sure you meant nothing by it, but it might get misinterpreted by others. Second, in this day and age, every little thing counts. I'm not happy that the E300 doesn't activate the puddle or handle lights as I approach the car, or automatically adjust the seat as I unlock the door. My Subaru Outback does these little things. Does that mean Subaru's engineers spend more time on the little things than MB's engineers? I hope not. I'd rather believe that each brand incorporate or leave out certain features from a long list of options to meet their marketing goals, cost targets, and design requirements. So, every car would have some missing little things due to above reasons. Third, the E300 interior is beautiful. My wife wanted the car the moment she sat in it. To offer the touch screen, MB will have to compromise the design. From the artistic stand point, I completely understand and agree with MB's decision to put the screen where it is and come up with the thumb pad solution in lieu of the touch screen. From the technical stand point, I'm dumbfounded by the the map menu system in COMAND.
No need to start calling names. We all have different ideas and if we can't discuss them without remaining civilized, then by all mean, stay off the thread. I thought forums are places where you can vent, find answers, trade tips, etc., not a place for one-sided conversation.
I welcome your comments and presented my take of the subjects you brought up in a very polite manner, with clear reasoning, why the rage? It sounds like you've never disagree with anyone and we should follow your footsteps--Just listen and agree that you're absolutely right. Hmmm...
About the car, is any MB car perfect? No. Read any car review and you'll see the pros and cons all over the pages. I listed the goods along with the bads in my post, did you miss them? So I can only talk about the good stuffs on this forum? Please show me the rules and you'll have my sincerest apology. I'm looking forward to your reply--No name calling please.
No need to start calling names. We all have different ideas and if we can't discuss them without remaining civilized, then by all mean, stay off the thread. I thought forums are places where you can vent, find answers, trade tips, etc., not a place for one-sided conversation.
I welcome your comments and presented my take of the subjects you brought up in a very polite manner, with clear reasoning, why the rage? It sounds like you've never disagree with anyone and we should follow your footsteps--Just listen and agree that you're absolutely right. Hmmm...
About the car, is any MB car perfect? No. Read any car review and you'll see the pros and cons all over the pages. I listed the goods along with the bads in my post, did you miss them? So I can only talk about the good stuffs on this forum? Please show me the rules and you'll have my sincerest apology. I'm looking forward to your reply--No name calling please.
Best Regards,
exactly what name did i call you? and what rage are you talking about? im actually laughing at you for being so......
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. I'm sure you meant nothing by it, but it might get misinterpreted by others. Second, in this day and age, every little thing counts. I'm not happy that the E300 doesn't activate the puddle or handle lights as I approach the car, or automatically adjust the seat as I unlock the door. My Subaru Outback does these little things. Does that mean Subaru's engineers spend more time on the little things than MB's engineers? I hope not. I'd rather believe that each brand incorporate or leave out certain features from a long list of options to meet their marketing goals, cost targets, and design requirements. So, every car would have some missing little things due to above reasons. Third, the E300 interior is beautiful. My wife wanted the car the moment she sat in it. To offer the touch screen, MB will have to compromise the design. From the artistic stand point, I completely understand and agree with MB's decision to put the screen where it is and come up with the thumb pad solution in lieu of the touch screen. From the technical stand point, I'm dumbfounded by the the map menu system in COMAND.
