With
the U.S. Department of Transportation’s NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration) ruling that all new Cars should have Rear-View Cameras by
Rear-View Cameras by Tuesday May 1st 2018 getting closer and closer
as reported in my blog article
entitled “NHTSA
passes ruling for Car Manufacturers to install Rear-View Cameras by Tuesday May
1st 2018 - Self-Driving Cars First Steps as Jamaica falls behind in Vehicle
Regulations”, Auto accessory makers are upping their game.
Introducing
the App-Tronics SmartNav 5
rear-view mirror a product that finally brings navigational smarts to your
rear-view mirror as stated in the article “The
smartest rear-view mirror in the world”, published November 5, 2014 11:11
AM PST by Wayne Cunningham, CNET News.
App-Tronics SmartNav 5
rear-view mirror was so good that it won Best in Show award for Mobile
Electronics at the 2014 SEMA aftermarket automotive show.
It
is somewhat like a hybrid in functionality between the US$499 Navdy HUD
Projector as described in my blog article
entitled “Navdy
HUD Projector – Heads Up Display for Apps with Voice and Gesture Commands to
control your Car while Driving” that allows you to control your Car's
Navigation and in-Car Entertainment System and a Rear-view Camera plus some
other perks thrown in.
The
App-Tronics SmartNav 5
rear-view mirror is a Windows CE Computer powered by a 12 volt connection from
your Car's Electrical System. It can be installed as a replacement for your
existing rear-view mirror or as a clip-on device for your existing rear-view
mirror.
It
then projects a translucent 5” screen in the middle of the rear view mirror
that gives you access to navigational information. It comes with adjustments in
brightness based on the time of day so as not to be a distraction to the driver
and allowing him to focus on the mirror or on the navigational aid.
Navigation
in my rear view mirror is great, but what other tricks does the App-Tronics SmartNav 5
rear-view mirror have up its sleeve?
App-Tronics SmartNav 5
rear-view mirror – Turn-by-turn Navigation powered by iGo
Well
a simple answer to that question is a lot. Accessing these features can be done
via a series of buttons along the lower bezel or the touchscreen that places
all the buttons on screen for easier navigation.
This
is a safety hazard, as to enter data, you have to basically stop and reach your
arm across to the center of your vehicle to enter data. As an option, you can
customize the menu to as little as three buttons to make using the App-Tronics SmartNav 5
rear-view mirror as distraction free as possible.
You
also have the option of programming the App-Tronics SmartNav 5
rear-view mirror via an app on your smartphone as the Windows CE computer can
be controlled via Bluetooth connection. One of the many functionalities that it
has is turn-by-turn navigation powered by iGo navigation software. It can also
provide Odometer and speedometer information, albeit that's derived from the
GPS module and not from the car's own CAN bus system.
App-Tronics SmartNav 5
rear-view mirror - Camera DVR and Police Radar Detector
If
you get the App-Tronics
SmartNav 5 Radar Detector accessory, it'll allow you to detect Police radar
trap before you reach them and even has a real-time database of known speed
traps, making avoiding police tickets that much easier. But the feature of
interest is the Camera system, which surprisingly, is a lot like an smartphone Camera
system.
The
App-Tronics SmartNav 5
rear-view mirror has a built in front-facing Camera tied to a DVR (Digital
Video Recorder) inside of the Windows CE computer that runs the unit. It can record
the conditions inside as well as outside of the vehicle during a crash and can
serve as a dash-mounted crash recorder.
This
is a feature that should be of interest to the Road Traffic Act Joint Select
Committee as they make amendments to the Road Traffic Act as recommended in my blog article
entitled “Island
Traffic Authority Charging for Services - Road Traffic Act Backs ITA as HD CCTV
Cameras, Rear-View Cameras, JDF, JCF”.
Best
of all that DVR can connect to other Cameras installed on the vehicle,
including the rearview Cameras, making it possible to have a live recording of
when you're reversing your vehicle in case of crash incidents.
App-Tronics SmartNav 5 –
Because Cameras inside and outside of Vehicles makes you safer
So
despite fact that it seems to be a bit involved in terms of configuration, it
does provide the service of being an in-card DVR Recorder for your Cameras,
masking the App-Tronics
SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror an excellent product that Americans can
purchase to improve Road Safety.
Hopefully
too, our ITA (Island Traffic Authority) will flow the lead of the U.S.
Department of Transportation’s NHTSA and make Rear-View Cameras with DVR like
the App-Tronics SmartNav 5
rear-view mirror mandatory by 2018 as well.
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