NEWS – PureGear has announced a the PureCam Connected Car Security System 4G LTE Dual Lens Dash Cam at CES in Las Vegas Nevada. This new dash cam includes a variety of premium features that make it a powerful car accessory that you can use to record your travels and get you out of a jam in the event of an accident.
The PureCam dual camera dashcam features what has to be the largest LCD display I’ve seen so far for a dash cam. It’s 4-inch with picture in picture functionality. The camera also uses 4G LTE so you can live stream what you seen in from of your car or inside of the car from anywhere you are as long as you have cellular connectivity and provides WiFi hotspot capability for up to 3 devices.
Other features of the PureGear PureCam include a built-in GPS so you can find the car if you forget where you parked it. This dash cam plugs into your car’s onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) port and will send a push notification to your phone in case of a break in. It’s priced at $249.99 and requires a dataplan that you can either buy through PureGear or you can provide your own SIM. For more info head over to shoppurecam.com
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REVIEW – Dash cams can be a great help in an accident. If the events are not being reported accurately, showing an actual film of an accident or incident does a lot to prevent someone from “remembering” things differently. Recently, I was sent the Z-Edge T4 touchscreen dash camera, and it includes a second, rear-facing camera – a wired model rather than a wireless one. Since I’m on a quest to find a good backup camera, I was really excited to try this and I’m ready to give you my report.
Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.
What is it?
The Z-Edge T4 dash cam is a touchscreen camera that measures 4.74” x 2.75” x 1.25” (121 x 72 x 31mm). It comes in a complete kit that includes front- and rear-facing sensors, mounting brackets for both, as well as the wiring to connect them, and the media to record events on.
Hardware specs
(from the company’s website)
One-Hand Operation Touchscreen
Your On-The-Way Witness
Dual 1080P Recording, Never Miss A License Plate
Super Clear Night Vision With WDR Technology
155° Wide Angle Lens, Full 4 Lanes View
What’s in the box?
main camera unit
12-volt 2-outlet power plug
rear camera 1.5” x 1.5” x .5” with a hinged mounting plate and permanent adhesive tape
3’ USB-A to miniUSB power cable
26’ microUSB to microUSB cable for connecting the two cameras
suction-cup windshield mount for the main unit
32-GB TF micro data card
instruction sheet that you can actually see. In English.
six stick-on wire-management clips.
Design and features
The T4 from Z-Edge is all you need to record and secure your car. With a front-facing camera, rear-facing camera, and power connectors, the system can monitor about 310º around your car. (Each camera covers 155º.) There is a Parking Mode that will take video using the battery if any motion is detected.
Setup
Setup of the system is simple. Mount the front-facing main unit to your windshield to get the best view of the road ahead. Plug in the power adapter and run the power cable to the main unit. Mount the rear camera (you may want to have someone else help with this for best positioning.) Run the 26’ cable from the rear camera up to the main unit on your windshield. The camera is automatically detected when you plug it in, and you are given the option to view just the front camera, just the rear camera, or the front with the rear in the upper quarter of the frame, picture-in-picture style. Two taps and you’re back to a different view. Easy-peasy.
Performance
I found no issues with performance. Like most cameras on the market, the Z-Edge T4 can be set to record in snippets of different lengths. If there is a shock to the system (an accident, or just a bump), the active video is locked. As the disk fills, older clips that are not locked as emergency events are erased and written over.
Transferring to your computer or tablet is pretty normal – pull the TF card and place it in an adapter for your device, plug it in, and download the files you want. Rear and Forward views are recorded full screen in two different files, rather than however you’re viewing them on the screen while recording. I like this better than having just the screen view, which may not include important info if you’re just viewing one or the other. When the rear camera is plugged in, it’s recording, even if it’s not showing on the display.
The following shots are pictures of the unit with both cameras active while parked after a concert. I wanted to show the scene through the windshield and the T4’s interpretation of it. There are a lot of cars in the parking lot behind me, and a large magnolia tree in front of me. The first is before turning on my headlights.
The next shot shows after turning on my headlights. Note the difference between what’s on screen and what my iPhone picked up in the background of the actual view through the windshield.
Next, let’s move on to some video.
The first clip below shows the last part of my daily drive into work. I arrive at the parking garage about 7:50 on a December morning. Driving into the sun, you can still see car tags, pedestrians, and cyclists clearly. As I turn into the garage, the camera takes a second or two to adjust, but then is able to have good resolution within the dark garage.
The next two clips are how the front- and rear-facing cameras are recorded. They are broken at identical points but are kept as two similarly-named files on the data card. (Apologies for the Accidental Tech Podcast episode on Italian desserts in the background.)
What I Like
Complete kit – no need to buy anything else.
Well-written instructions for operation.
Touchscreen operation is glove-friendly (large buttons).
Easy to change views.
Parking mode adds protection while your car is parked.
What needs to be improved
Rear Window mounting means seeing your rear blind spot (for backing purposes) is not as good as a license plate level camera.
Final thoughts
I was really impressed with this unit. The camera quality is good in low light or sun, it’s very easy to switch to full-screen rear camera, accessing the menu is a single tap. It’s also only two quick taps to turn the screen off. The sensitivity adjustments for exposure are easy to manage, and it really picks up good images in early morning light, dusk or full night. Add in the fact that you probably won’t have to buy any extra wiring, clips, etc., and you’ve got a nice kit to add in-car road monitoring to your vehicle.
Price: $169.99 Where to buy: Amazon Source: The sample of this product was provided by Z-Edge.
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REVIEW – There’s finally a unique solution to the problems of never finding the right auto air freshener scent and wishing you could use your essential oils in the car. Gurunada has you covered with their Mobile USB Car Diffuser. Read on to see how it works.
What is it?
Gurunada’s mobile ultrasonic diffuser creates vibrations that are carried to the surface where oil is floating. The oil mixed in with water gets broken down and diffused into the air, filling the car with atomized essential oil.
Hardware specs
55ml reservoir
overheating protection
low and high modes
approx. 3-6 hours of mist time
USB cable draws power from car
What’s in the box?
oil diffuser
USB adapter cable
DC car adapter
bonus free essential oil
Design and Features
I feel like before I begin this review, I should mention a couple of things about essential oils and their supposed benefits. From what I understand, there are wildly varying beliefs on the practical use of essential oils, naturally extracted from plants. Each variety of oil, such as lemongrass, peppermint, and lavender, is purportedly useful for very specific things.
Each oil is supposed to be good for a few things, including relaxation and revitalization.
Some believe they’re fine for smelling and relaxing. Others think they can be used to cure major ailments. And while I’m not discounting their purpose, here, I should mention that you should check with your doctor before using them as a substitute for any sort of medical treatment.
One last point, I found it funny that most of the scents that I received with the diffuser mention a calming or relaxing effect, which I’m not sold on being the best use for driving, an activity that requires alertness and quick reflexes.
Setup
Once you’ve got the diffuser in a secure spot, most certainly a cup holder near the power outlet, simply plug it in and fill the reservoir up to the line. Then put a few drops of your favorite essential oils. I’m sure that Gurunada would prefer you use their 100% oils, and they are quite nice, but I imagine you can put in any ones that you happen to have from other sources. You can mix and match to your heart’s content, creating your perfect combination of scents.
Usage
Now you’ve got a little plastic container with water and a little oil floating at the top. You’ve also taken up half of your cup holders. Just saying. To turn on the unit, you simply press the button on the front once for high, twice for low, or a third time to turn it off. When the diffuser is set to high, the light on the button turns on. However, when it’s set to low, the light turns off, making it difficult to tell if the unit is low or off, other than the mist coming out at 20 second intervals.
It’s possible you’ll be carrying this in and out of the car with you if it’s too hot or too cold outside.
The diffuser works by creating ultrasonic vibrations, dispersing the water and oil on the surface and creating a fine mist that blows out the top of the unit like a tiny humidifier. It didn’t take long for the car to fill the with the aroma of bergamot, one of the oils I received to test, and the only oil that promoted alertness. Plus, I love that scent … like a warm mug of Earl Gray.
Everything seemed to work perfectly for a while. Then I noticed the unit shutting off at random times. I discovered that if the water level isn’t high enough, turning around a corner is enough to trigger the auto shut-off. It’s designed to shut down when the water level is low enough, and my turning must have shifted the contents enough to make it think it was running low.
Maintenance began to become a problem as well. I don’t usually take water in the car with me, but once I had this diffuser in place, I needed to remind myself to carry a refillable bottle so that I could keep the water at a level that didn’t trigger a shut-off. And of course, a few more drops of oil are needed whenever you top off the water. So it does need some tending, especially vs. any regular 30-day car freshener.
Also, it is winter in PA right now, which means most nights are now below freezing. And since you’ve basically got a plastic cup of water in your cold car all night, you can bet you’re going to find a bergamot popsicle waiting for you in the morning. Or even at the end of the workday.
The Gurunada website recommends to clean out the unit every few days to avoid buildup of oil. Not a problem if you have to take it with you every time you get out of the car.
Overall, the portable diffuser worked pretty well, provided you keep it properly fed and maintained.
What I like
diffuses a high amount of fragrance mist
compact, portable solution that works well
What needs to be improved
high maintenance vs regular air freshener
easy to trigger shut-off
can’t be left in the car in freezing weather
Final thoughts
For the amount of maintenance and baggage that comes with this mobile diffuser — taking up a coveted cup holder, needing to store oil bottles in my glove box, futzing around with water levels and shut-offs — to me, it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Especially when I can just hang up a Little Tree from my rear view mirror and be done with it.
“Philistine!” cry the proponents of essential oils. I understand that’s not the point of this unit. For what it was made for, a mobile USB-powered solution for diffusing oils in your car, it serves its purpose well, and I know a lot of people would be satisfied with it. Especially at the low asking price.
Price: $19.99 Where to buy: You can pick up the Gurunada Mobile Diffuser directly from their website and Amazon. Source: The sample of this product was provided by Gurunada. You can find out more and check out their full line of essential oils and diffusers on their website.
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NEWS – I have a couple of double-outlet car chargers in my car, but I’ve never seen an “extension cord” charger for a car, much less one with five outlets! The RapidX X5 Car Charger has five USB ports, and you can use them all at once to charge everybody’s mobile devices on your car trip.
The RapidX X5 has five intelligent USB port that detects your device and deliver the fastest possible charge, up to 10.8 amps overall. Two of the ports use intelligent recognition, reading your device then charging as fast as possible from two to 2.4 amps. The remaining three charge ports power up with two amps. RapidX says the X5 charges up to twice the speed of most chargers. It works with 12v-24v vehicle outlets and cigarette lighters. The plug end has two USB ports for front seat users. Three more ports are at the end of a 5-ft extension cord for backseat users. The X5 is made of plastic and metal and is available in black with blue or green accents or in white with red or orange accents. The RapidX X5 Car Charger is normally $24.95, but it is only $19.95 at the time of writing. Order the RapidX X5 from The Grommet.
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NEWS – Ever run into the problem of having to pay the hardware store to deliver something like a few boards or some wood trim because you have a sedan or a truck with a short bed and can’t fit your supplies in it? Well, with the Sidekick VSC side-mount car carrier system, you’ll never have to pay big sums for small deliveries like that again. The Sidekick VSC is simply temporarily added to the passenger-side doors of your vehicle, so you can transport over-sized items over short distances.
The kit consists of :
2 Z Brackets
2 pins
2 bolts
2 wing nuts
2 bungee cords
2 side supports with protection pads to protect your car’s finish
Just keep the kit in the trunk of your vehicle, and you’re ready to bring home supplies whenever you need them. The system is designed to work with lumber, trim, or plastic pipe up to 16 feet long. The SideKick VSC system is normally $99.95, but it’s $79.95 at the time of writing. Purchase at The SideKick VSC website.
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