CONNECTED CAR TRENDS FOR 2015 INCLUDE DVR DASH-CAM

The Asian Age -- Car infotainment systems are not new. But recent launches in India have morphed navigation with communication and entertainment into an integrated console. For example, the Pioneer AVIC-F60BT, at Rs 49,990, uses special chips for GPS navigation and a 13-band graphic equaliser while using MapMyIndia for maps. You can also connect your phone via Bluetooth for talking and browsing. Another company, Clarion, has gone down this route for its AX1 Android-fuelled Connected Car stereo system with built-in voice navigation and full HD playback. The Rs 55,990 system harnesses the phone’s rear camera for driver-view video.

But the biggest connected car trend in 2015, will likely be the “dash cam” a car-mounted digital video recorder, usually poking just above the dashboard. It records the driver’s view of road ahead, on the storage you provide: Typically an SD card of 64 GB or so. A dash cam can provide indisputable proof if the car is involved in a collision. A sudden crash triggers a ‘G’ sensor which ensures the record is frozen and cannot be erased. A search on retail sites will throw up dozens of dash cams ranging from Rs 1,400 to Rs 10,000. The popular Drive Pro 200 from Transcend, is available online for around Rs 9,000. It comes with full HD recording at 30 feet per second, replay on a 2.4 inch LCD screen or on your phone and a 160-degree wide angle view from a 7-glass lens system that includes a low-light capabilities.

It is useful if the car DVR can take a feed from the GPS system since this will tag every frame to a location.

Also, mobile phones have become so smart that it may no longer be necessary to invest in a stand alone music system or GPS navigation. Google Maps come with voice navigation; most mobiles have good audio and video playback and the phones are so big these days that you don’t need a second screen. I can see why a respected car navigation player like Tom Tom is now offering not just GPS systems but a hands-free Car Kit for Android and iOS phones, for as low as Rs 4,990 (Rs 2,990 extra for charger and mount), with Bluetooth-fuelled calling as well as a voice menu. Phone video recording is currently not quite up to dash cam specs but that may change as chips and apps become more powerful.