Ford says it will offer a wireless, console-mounted touch-screen computer with broadband cellular Internet access as an option in F-series trucks in 2006.
Sometimes, the key to a successful product is not offering new technology, but offering familiar technology in new and useful ways. That’s what Ford Motor Company hopes customers will think when it begins offering a mobile, wireless office computer as a dealer-installed option for its F-series pickup trucks, which are widely used by contractors and others who routinely conduct business on the road and away from their offices. The mobile office should be available as a dealer-installed accessory in 2006. Pricing and possible service charges have not been finalized, but add-ons like credit card scanners, GPS receivers, and digital cameras should also be available.
Ford will be showing the system this week at the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show in Las Vegas. The mobile office uses a Stargate Mobile touch-screen computer mounted on a stand in the console between the driver and passenger seat which draws power from the truck’s battery
