Tonight's mini-mod is the best $13 I have spent in a long time.
I found this little gizmo on Amazon for like $13 with 2-day shipping on prime during a lighting deal. It is $20 normally, still totally worth it.
I wanted a quick and simple way to 'modernize' the oem AM/FM head unit in this truck. I honestly love how simple it is, but it is amazing how much technology you can cram in a little gadget like this. This little guy plugs into your 12V cigarette lighter port and provides a bluetooth to FM radio interface for your phone ( or tablet ). All this works pretty well and seamless. Once the phone pairs with the unit all the phone audio output is ported to the radio speakers just like the modern stereo in many vehicles. I like having navigation available from my phone. The added bonus is that this unit also has the ability to play MP3s directly from a microSD card inserted directly into the unit ( and also a USB stick if you want ). That is a nice feature when you just don't want to worry about pairing your phone.
There are two USB power ports integrated into the unit, and it isn't much larger than a normal USB power adapter.
The unit also has some basic controls for the phone/music functions so you don't have to have access to the phone directly. It can just stay in your pocket if you are doing short trips. I am pretty sure the unit has a built in microphone so you don't have to rely on the phone mic for calls.
The only real downside so far is that it seems BOTH 12V plugs are constant hot. I should probably unplug it to keep it from draining the battery. I need to look at repowering the plug with switched power.
I am pretty sure I will do something more permanent in the future, maybe even a android or pie based tablet system in the stock dash hole. I just REALLY have to have some manual controls like a real volume knob. I would also like to add a wireless charging cradle for my phone. I really hate having to plug and unplug the phone to charge......
