Consumer technology is an integral part of almost all large industries. It is no different with the automobile industry. Ever since cars became a part of our society, there have been devices and gadgets made for drivers and meant to improve the driving experience itself. From air conditioning, over CD players to GPS devices – these technological inventions have all influenced and forever changed the way we drive.

Car Dash Cams – A Step in The Right Direction

Car Dash cams are much more than entertainment technology. They are, primarily, tools. News agencies, police officers, TV show producers – they all use these cameras and thanks, in part, to the popularity of TV shows that utilize this technology, drivers everywhere around the world have fallen in love with these devices. Since then, they have become widely available and, essentially, a must-have. According to recent statistics though, these cameras have been popular in places like Russia and Asia for a while, but they have only recently properly penetrated the Western driving culture. In most Western countries, there are no rules or regulations regarding dashboard cameras, so everyone is pretty much free to use them.

Drivers love them for a number of reasons, but most tend to stress these two things: they are incredibly fun and they are a great safety measure in case a collision happens, because most insurance companies (as well as law enforcement) accepts this type of video footage as evidence. This essentially means these devices have influenced quite a few industries, apart from the automobile industry and they have certainly made things easier for the police, as well as courts.

What to Look for in a Dash Cam?

Nonetheless, since these gadgets have become so popular, there are countless brands, styles and types available, that picking the right one can be a daunting and time consuming process, to say the least. Many people are clueless when it comes to which camera to buy or what to look for in a dashboard camera. This is, in many ways, a matter of personal preference, more than anything else. However, some things are universal and if you’re thinking of purchasing one, make sure to pay attention to these three things:

• Video quality – It’s highly recommended that you look for a camera with video resolution of at least 720 pixels, but it would be much better to find one with 1080.

• Night vision – Many people forget how important it is to find a camera that has night vision. This is an absolute must if you drive a lot.

• Looping video – This is another great feature. Essentially, this means that you need to look for a camera that doesn’t stop recording when it runs out of memory. Cameras that have the looping video feature automatically overwrite the oldest video on the memory card, thus enabling the camera to record more footage. This can prove to be incredibly useful if something bad happens on the road. Imagine not getting reimbursed by insurance simply because you had no space left on your memory card. That is not a risk worth taking.

Once you find a car dash cam that has all of the above, make sure to pick a brand that suits your needs and preferences. It is highly recommended that you do some research online in order to find the best deals possible. Once you get your first dashboard cam, there is no going back – you’ll fall in love with these useful little gadgets.

Dash cams have become incredibly popular lately. These little multi-purpose electronic devices seem to be taking the automobile industry by storm. Is this just another passing fad or are these cameras here to stay? What it is that makes them so popular and why are they so widely available?

Shifting The Perception – Buying Time and Capturing The Moment

When thinking of new electronic devices that are penetrating any given industry, we first have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. This means that we have to examine the shifts have occurred in our society. Some of them are subtle and some of them are quite obvious, but what matters is that these shifts are caused by technology and, at the same time, influence technology. How does this relate to these little car gadgets?

We have gotten used to recording and documenting our reality. We snap photos, record videos, take notes and share all of that on social media. This is something mankind has never been able to do before. We are all, constantly connected and, even when moving, we feel the need to document, record and communicate. Smartphones have allowed us to do this and we have, in return, gotten used to sharing bits and pieces of our everyday life with others. Whether we do this just to capture significant moments of our life or simply to impress others, is debatable, but one thing is for sure – we have grown into this and there is no looking back. However, there is a problem.

How does all of the above relate to dash cams? Well, according to recent research, the average American spends almost 40 000 hours driving, over the course of his lifetime. In that time, the average person will drive around 800 000 miles, which is approximately the distance it takes to drive to the moon, times three! Obviously, this is an enormous amount of time. How can this time be preserved, cherished, packaged, condensed and forever remembered? The answer is, as you can assume, dash cams. These devices are changing the way we live because they are allowing us to record and capture those moments of our lives that we have never been able to capture before. Thanks to dash cameras we can record every single second of those 40 000 hours. Buying a dash camera is, in a way, buying time. And there is nothing more precious than time.

This is why these cameras have become so popular. Sure, they’re great to record what happened during a collision and it’s always cool to be able to put up a video of your most recent road trip on YouTube, but this not why these devices have become so popular. They have taken the automobile industry by storm because they are perfectly reflecting a generation-defining moment – we can now stay connected and record every single waking moment. Most importantly, we get to stay safe. We can just drive around, never taking out our smartphones or cameras. We can simply let our car cameras take care of everything. We can just relax and enjoy the present moment.