Hey Meh.com buyers, how 'bout some dash cams?

@thismyusername I kinda want one, but that price takes it out of the “impulse buy” range for me, and elevates it to the “careful contemplative shopping” category.

Thanks for mentioning it though!

@ruouttaurmind yea I will admit I would have jumped on it at 50… but 99 has kept it in my “maybe” brain spot at least until saturday when it reverts to a “NOPE not at $130”

@thismyusername I actually looked into a similar model a few weeks ago, and have to say the GPS feature is a nice addition.

@thismyusername Love that shopping strategy! It’s a practice I firmly embrace myself. Weigh your options long enough and eventually the item goes out of stock or the sale price expires.

@ruouttaurmind or even better when the stock gets low enough they toss it in the “clearance corner” and you get it for $33

@ruouttaurmind Are you sure the GPS is a nice addition? Even if the video otherwise shows that you were clearly the victim of someone else’s bad driving, if that GPS indicates you were going even 1 m.p.h. over the speed limit, even if the car’s speedometer said you were obeying the speed limit, do you think someone’s not going to try to use that cold, hard, GPS-indicated violation of the speed limit against you?

@ruouttaurmind
And here I am, with a .50¢ limit on impulse purchases.

@jqubed Well it depends. Assuming you could submit just the video footage separate of the GPS, you could just conveniently do that. And if the GPS is in your favor, well, then that would be useful as well!

@Bandrik @jqubed, as far as I could tell from reading the product description of the brand I looked at, you have the ability to separate the video data into a standard Mp4 file. If you view the raw data from within their proprietary software (free to download) you have the option of viewing video synced to GPS route data. Picture Google Navigate with a video window playing in the foreground.

If a court was going to subpoena that GPS data (they’d have to know of it’s existence first) they likely would subpoena the black box data from your vehicle as well.

I can tell you from my experience with GPS guided drones, GPS accuracy tolerance is quite slack compared to the black box data in your car. A stationary GPS can be quite accurate. I have drones with dual GPS/GLONASS positioning that can hover within an inch or two of a programmed position. However, when the drone is actually moving, the accuracy drops to several inches. When moving a high speed, the accuracy drops to a few feet.

I guess my point being that speed data from a GPS, ESPECIALLY a relatively inexpensive GPS, is more of a guideline than hard fact. I’d be surprised if it was admissible in court.

@DVDBZN I really think you should consider increasing that limit to at least 65¢

@RedOak Agreed. My buddy picked one up at Staples a few weeks ago (ArmorAll brand) for about $15. While it’s interesting, and a good experiment in the functionality of a dash cam (it was enough to make me want a “real” one) it’s definitely got some shortfalls.

Based on some of the values they’ve been able to offer us here, the Meh.com buyers might be able to offer a $100+ cam for $35-$50. Probably the bright orange factory refurb, but it’ll probably have Bluetooth because isn’t Meh synonymous with Bluetooth after all?

@ruouttaurmind yep saw that Staples deal. But after finding reviews for it elsewhere, I decided it would be a great way to hand over 15 bucks to Staples in exchange for something to add to the junk drawer.

@RedOak I’d say the Staples cam has provided him with $15 in value. He isn’t the kind of “refined consumer” of technology I am, and has lower expectations. As long as it continues working, however modest the image quality, he’ll be satisfied. Some folks expect nothing more than a simple, viewable image. For fifteen bucks, the Staples cam delivers that (and no more).

I’m really hoping for a bit more. A little more durable construction, a bit higher image quality, a few more features. And I’m expecting to pay a bit more for it. Just not wanting to pay the full boat price of $100 or more.

@ruouttaurmind I evaluate dahscam image quality similarly to security cameras.

If it has no chance of identifying the perp or at least part of a license plate then it hasn’t hit the primary functionality minimum for its purpose for us. It is simply a false confidence toy.

We already have a (failed just out of warranty) Samsung security system that was not much good for anything other than distinguishing between a person and a deer.

@ruouttaurmind BTW, I got a chuckle out of that ArmorAll dashcam branding.

But at least it makes more sense than the “Pulsar” (old watch brand?) generator being sold by Newegg.

Instant “credibility” for an otherwise indentical to other crap and otherwise completely lost in the swamp product.

@RedOak I also have a Samsung security system! It’s useful for determining if my silly dog is on the couch again:

Sadly… not good for much else…

@ruouttaurmind hah! At least yours is working. Ours was pointing to a hard drive error. So I bought a video-optimized hard drive. That didn’t fix it. Apparently something blew up on the motherboard. Waiting for high resolution IP system prices to fall further…

@f00l

@f00l Mine I just have affixed to my windshield with the included suction cup and have the power cord hanging down to the 12 volt outlet. It came with adhesive wire holders, but they didn’t stick to my car. The manufacturer offered to refund a portion of the money so I could buy some replacements, but I wanted to see if my friend with a body shop/custom hot rod shop could route the cable behind the trim. He recommended against doing that since I have airbags in my A pillars, and by then I decided just having the cable dangle down actually wasn’t distracting and made it way more portable. If I want to move it to another car I just have to release the suction cup and pull the USB adapter out of the 12 volt outlet, nice and easy.

@f00l the $20 dash cam that my coworker bought https://www.amazon.com/AUBBC-1080P-Vehicle-Camera-Recorder/dp/B01CSOD7VO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1475045174&sr=8-4&keywords=dash+cam

has it on off mount switch, flip it one way to take it off and flip it the other way to make it stick

@f00l My buddy’s $15 ArmorAll cam from Staples has the typical GPS nav unit style “lever lift” suction cup mount and cigarette lighter power cord. Installation takes about 30 seconds.

@jqubed Not bad specs there. 2K/30 video and a 3" LCD display. About the only other thing I could imagine wanting is motion sensor (start recording when motion is detected within view of the lens), maybe IR illumination, and 60FPS at least at 1080.

@SSteve But. Wouldn’t the video from that be terribly unappealing?

@sligett Rule 34 applies to everything.

@SSteve Mmm baby. You know how I like my nostril porn to be clean-shaven.

@SSteve I broke down and bought one on Amazon. I couldn’t find a decent priced one locally.

@medz now that looks sweet… I don’t have room to use it in my garage but I’d love one if I did.

@duodec yeah, until it doesn’t work and you smash your head into the side of your car.

@medz I guess the day I can’t get off the creeper under my own power it’s probably time for me to stop building cars.

It is cool though.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@SB5404 I’ve actually seen that one on Amazon. It’s a Lightning Deal every week or two. I really like (at least how it appears) how it seems to mount with a sort of shroud that covers the wires and seems to give it more of a OEM look. Being the owner of one, am I accurate in my presumption?

Isn’t that the one that also offers a GPS upgrade option?

What I’m wondering… why haven’t the radar detector makers gotten on board with a duplex unit. Combo radar detector/dash cam?

@ruouttaurmind Correct, and correct. Note that the exact model and seller matter when buying these things because there are many variations on them - you don’t know who made them and how.