Megellan outs two-in-one nav and drive recorder
Satnav that doubles as a drive recording camera
Not to be outdone by Garmin's nav-plus-reversing-camera effort, Magellan has come up with its own nav-plus-camera combo, the Roadmate 6230T-LM DashCam. But this time the camera is a forward-facing drive recorder.
The camera is integrated into the rear of the Roadmate 6230T-LM DashCam. The main benefit here is simplicity. Adding functionality to car's via aftermarket devices is a whole lot cheaper than buying a new car, of course.
But it only takes a handful of add-in devices to leave your car dash looking like a rat's nest of messy cables. So a device that combines navigation with drive recording in one is very attractive.
High impact
Like other drive recorders, the Magellan Roadmate 6230T-LM DashCam has an integrated G-sensor to detect sudden motion or speed changes. If it detects sharp braking, rapid acceleration or a sudden impact, the camera automatically captures video to an SD memory card.
Because the camera is constantly recording on continuous loop, footage before and after the event is captured.
No word yet on the specs of the camera, but hopefully it's HD, which helps with things like reading number plates, should you plan to use the footage in relation to an insurance claim or road traffic disputes and offences.
As it happens, the Roadmate 6230T-LM DashCam also supports Magellan's own wireless reversing camera, which makes for an intriguing overall package. The reversing camera is sold separately for $129.
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The Magellan Roadmate 6230T-LM DashCam goes on sale in April for $229.
Technology and cars. Increasingly the twain shall meet. Which is handy, because Jeremy (Twitter) is addicted to both. Long-time tech journalist, former editor of iCar magazine and incumbent car guru for T3 magazine, Jeremy reckons in-car technology is about to go thermonuclear. No, not exploding cars. That would be silly. And dangerous. But rather an explosive period of unprecedented innovation. Enjoy the ride.