Kenwood gives you touch screen access for your Escort radar … – Poc Network

Today’s Tech News and Reviews
There is nothing like consolidating a ton of things into one easy access point, especially as you drive. Eliminating the clutter of a bunch of devices hanging all over to distract your vision with, you are able to control more and more with a touch screen on your dashboard in today’s vehicles, including back up cameras, front-facing traffic cameras, climate controls, as well as so many personal settings throughout the vehicle (Tesla is a great example of this). These touch screens are so much more than just a fancy radio now, and now you can add your radar detector to the list as well.
Escort, one of the top performing companies in radar detection, has installable models of their detectors that allow you to conceal most of the bulk, keeping the inside of your car clean of a device hanging off your window (not to mention they are typically a little more reliable when it comes to accuracy). Most of the parts are discreetly installed around the car, and you have a small display and controls for inside the car that can be mounted anywhere you’d like for the most part.
To take things even further, you can now connect them to the latest Kenwood and Kenwood eXcelon digital multimedia receivers (the touch screens), giving you touch access the detector for things like alerts, location marking and more. All of this is possible thanks to the new iDatalink Maestro RR2 by Automotive Data Solutions.
The Maestro devices are basically a universal adapter for allowing various devices to connect to your head unit (receiver) with. So let’s say you have a Ford vehicle with button controls on your steering wheel that controls various features of the stock radio, but you want to upgrade your radio to a fancy touch screen solution from a company like Kenwood, Pioneer or JVC. Now you are stuck with the reality that you will lose those buttons on the steering wheel since they were designed for the Ford radio, not a 3rd party. The Maestro devices help to fix that problem by converting them over to work with these other options. It also allows you to use the original amp (if there is one), and keep other services that were integrated with the original unit (like OnStar, SYNC and more).
Now with the new Maestro RR2 and Kenwood’s latest receivers, you will also be able integrate your installed radar detector as well, giving you a screen showing you detected alerts, your vehicle speed as well as the posted speed for the road you are currently on and allowing you access to certain settings and configuration, such as marking locations and turning the (optional) speed shifter on or off, if you have one installed as part of the detector. It will also announce the alters using the front speakers of your car. You will specifically need one of two installable models from Escort, including the Escort iX Ci and Escort MAX Ci (the only two models it works with).
The new Maestro RR2 will begin shipping toward the end of August, and you should be able to find them at most of the same certified retailers (who offer installation) of Kenwood radios. You should also be able to obtain one or both of the Escort installable detector models as well, allowing you to take care of all three birds with a single shop. Keep in mind, that all of this is pretty expensive compared to a normal Escort radar detector unit as it is all custom work vs a simple unit that hangs in your windshield. However, if you already have one of the newer Kenwood receivers (or are in the process of upgrading to one), it might be worth it if this is your kind of thing.
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Senior Editor, Author, Reviewer and Designer for Poc Network, ProAudio and Mobile Nations. James enjoys spending most of his time as an audio engineer and technician for the live music industry when he isn’t running around the office here juggling an intense workload. He can also be found frequently in the nearby mountainous ranges, scrambling rocks and rappelling down large sections.
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