Hybrid devices wining the market

Most notable trend of the car market is combined tools. The desire of motorists to use one universal thing, instead of hanging on the wind shield a set of various gadgets, pushes manufacturers to create hybrid devices such as GPS-navigator with the function of a dashboard camera. Thus, the navigator does not only calculates the coordinates of the vehicle and selects the best route, but also keeps a record of driving situations.

In reality the use of two separate devices is not very convenient. As a rule, a dashboard camera and a navigator are charged from a cigarette lighter, which is present in most cars in a single copy. It is therefore necessary to buy a double cigarette lighter or permanently reconnect the cables. Of course, all modern devices can operate wireless, but it’s not enough for a long work. So hybrid devices present a great alternative. Navigators with video recording have very compact dimensions, comparable with the size of an ordinary PDA or a smartphone. Also, when buying a hybrid device you can save up to $50 compared to the purchasing of two separate devices.

The functional characteristics of dashboard cameras are a little bit different compared to the stationary cameras. These DVRs in most cases are not able to produce sound record. They miss as well a built-in infrared LEDs camera for night shooting and a motion detector. Plus, hybrid DVRs have a modest viewing angle of 75 degrees versus 120 degrees (and in some cases - against 160 degrees) in classical models. Simply put, the built-in cameras can record everything that happens in front of the car, but on the record you will not see the curb of the road.

At the moment, there are not so many GPS-navigators with a functional of DVR represented on the market. The first such navigator appeared on sale about a year ago. This model was xDevice BlackBox-7 with 4.3" display and low resolution for video, only 640x480 pixels. Among the advantages of this model are - a microphone that allows producing audio.

Texet presented in this segment a lineup of 5" models. Navigator Texet TN-515DVR with a screen resolution 272x480 is equipped with a 1.3-megapixel camera that can record in VGA-quality (640x480 pixels). Texet TN-511HD DVR has a higher resolution: 480x800 pixels. Texet TN-521HD DVR with 2-megapixel camera, recording in the format of HD-video (720p) is the most expensive model of this brand.

A trade brand Lexand produces Lexand SR-5550 HD with a function of a megapixel camera and video recording in format of HD 720p (1280x720 pixels). This device operates on a platform MediaTek, which makes it slightly faster than devices of Texet. The resolution of video is 480x800pixels. In future Lexand plans to put on the market two more models - Lexand STR-6100 HDR with 6-inch screen and Lexand STR-7100 HDR with 7-inch display. These devices will be able to record the sound, as well as the date, time, speed, position and route.