OEM Integration Products Thrive by Synching with Technology
Emerging technologies are flooding the in-car market, but manufacturers are making sure the newest integration products aren’t left behind.
WORDS BY RUTH E. THALER-CARTER, CONTRIBUTING WRITER N
ew products and innovation are alive and well in OEM integration. Companies in the field say that, with 40 percent of consumers looking at gadgets first when they buy new cars, it’s important to focus on how iPhones and other popular electronics hook up to vehicles and to create products that respond to this trend. AAMP of America, the umbrella for three brands in the OEM integration category, has new products in all three of those brands. The recently acquired Intraphex brand’s Prodigy One.2 is a family of products for many makes and models of vehicles, according to Nathan Wincek, director of product development. New is the P1MGM 11, 12 and 13 for 2014 GM trucks and SUVs. It fits 4.7-, 7- and 8-inch screens. “They all provide an aftermar- ket, OEM-grade navigation system that converts a plain display screen to a touch screen for navigation and a back-up camera, with audio-visual input for entertainment,” Wincek said. “One of the great things is that the manufacturer doesn’t offer this for the 4.7-inch screen; it’s only available in a better trim for larger models at up to $10,000, while it’s only $1,899 for our version.” Prodigy One.2 is “basically plug-and-play installation; the audio plays through a vehicle’s existing speakers, so the product is well-integrated into the factory system.” AAMP’s Pacific Accessory Corp. (PAC) Audio brand will release a back-up camera interface, the BCI-CH41, in Septem- ber for late-model Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM vehicles that provides input to a factory radio display and is intended for use by passengers rather than drivers as a safety precaution. It unlocks the navigation capability—the destination. The product is unique in problem-solving aspects because it defaults to the driver’s preferences, according to Wincek. Citing the 2014 Dodge Durango SUV as an example, Wincek explained that the factory default ecomode, while ecologically correct, tends to make the car feel heavy and sluggish.
26 Mobile Electronics August 2014
“You can change to normal or power mode, but the vehicle
defaults to the factory ecomode setting every time you start the vehicle,” he said. “Our product will remember your setting and automatically use that when you start the car.” Another feature that makes this product unique is its steering wheel controls, Wincek said; it lets the driver reassign buttons. The factory default has audio controls on the left front of the steering wheel but volume controls on the right rear. “We let you swap the volume controls to the left so you can control all the audio functions with one hand on the same side.”
Technical Choices New from iSimple, a car-connectivity brand that AAMP “grew ourselves,” is the InSeam PRO (ISFM 2202, $179.95), a com- plete smartphone integration solution that “lets you control the phone from the steering wheel controls; you can answer calls, listen to music, and enable Siri or other voice-recognition func- tions, which is one of the most popular features,” said Wincek.
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