LinksWell said it has added SIM card slots to its Gen 6 and XL large-screen radios, after receiving FCC approval.
With the addition of a SIM card, users no longer need to link their phones to the radio in order to access Google Search, Google Maps, Waze and more. This also prevents users from compromising their cellphone battery, said LinksWell’s Walt Detlefsen.
Users can request a 4G SIM card from their local carrier. The card has its own phone number but it is not used as a phone, simply as a hot spot for the radio.
LinksWell’s Gen 6 line includes screens measuring 10.4 inches to 12.1 inches. About a dozen models are specific to various trucks and the Ford Expedition SUV.
The XL line features models with 15.6 inch screens. The radios are specific to about 7 different trucks. A special mount is available for fabricators for custom installations.
These large screen radios are essentially Android computers. Until now, they had a certain boot up time, just as a typical computer. But the new models now enter a sleep mode so that a full boot up is only required about one in ten uses, said Detlefsen.
