A shiny aluminum knob less than 2 inches high is an unlikely lightning rod, unless you're talking about the BMW iDrive cockpit controller. The iDrive became a metaphor for all that's been unworkable in technology-centric cars of the past decade. But the cockpit controller is here to stay. iDrive competitors are coming to market, improving the genre and even forcing the iDrive to evolve.

The concept behind the cockpit controller is simple: One control wheel and an LCD take the place of the several dozen knobs and dials that clutter dashboards. Since the early 1990s, most commercial airplanes adopted this type of "glass cockpit," reducing the number of switches and the complexity faced by pilots. And automakers often think of their cabins as grounded aircraft cockpits -- BMW's blue-and-white logo, for example, is patterned on a spinning airplane propeller. So BMW introduced the first car controller, the flawed iDrive, and is now hard at work on a follow-up.

Audi's MMI (multimedia interface, shown at left) was a big step forward. The Audi control knob isn't quite as showy as the iDrive, but it's easier to grip and has eight task buttons around the controller: Radio, CD, Net (communications but not Web browsing, sorry), Tel, Nav, Info, Car, and Setup. You just press one of the eight buttons and then fine-tune your choices with the control knob.

Infiniti's wonderful M45 (below right) has the same kinds of task buttons, except that the control knob and buttons are mounted on a slope on the dash, giving you a place to rest your palm. Palm rests are an excellent addition to these types of controllers. If only Chrysler and Ford had added one to the system control stick that juts from the dash on some of their models. Mercedes got it right, with the gorgeous controller palm rest in its new S-Class vehicles.  Mixx It  Digg It Stumble More...