"We proactively offer technology in a safe way and one example of how we do that is by offering technology that allows people to keep their hands on the wheel while staying focused on the road," a BMW spokeswoman told PCWorld. "People want to be connected, so we are allowing drivers to be connected in a safe manner."

BMW's voice-to-text e-mail technology complements options that BMW already offers. With BMW's ConnectedDrive, for example, you can connect your Blackberry to the dashboard console with a Bluetooth connection and the audio system reads as you drive. When the car is not in motion, it is possible to read the full texts of the emails from a Blackberry inbox on the car's dashboard screen.

However, there has been an that claim hands-free car tech is not safe, despite carmakers' claims

Despite his accolades for BMW's safety campaign, O'Donnell has long maintained in his blog that even as holding your cell phone to your ear while talking and driving. He recently told the Wall Street Journal that "there's absolutely no reason for any person to download their Facebook into the car."

However, safety experts generally agree that more studies are required to prove conclusively whether hand-free "infotainment" and communications technology for drivers is safe or not. The potential benefits are considerable--being able to use office apps in your car while driving can be a tremendous productivity booster, especially for drivers who have long commutes to make every day in their cars.