Magellan's latest dashboard navigator has built-in dashcam
The Magellan Roadmate 6230T-LM DashCam combines a fully featured GPS navigator with an always-watching dashboard DVR camera.
- North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
Magellan one-ups Garmin's announcement of updated GPS navigators and a new dashboard camera with its announcement of a GPS navigator with a built-in dashboard camera.
On the backside of the Roadmate 6230T-LM DashCam, you'll find a 120-degree wide-angle camera that watches the road ahead waiting for the integrated G-sensor to detect sudden motion or speed changes. In the event of sharp braking, rapid acceleration, excessive cornering, or sudden impact, the camera automatically captures video of the event. Because the camera is constantly recording on a continuous loop, it is also able to grab video from the moments preceding and immediately following the event.
Magellan's release doesn't state at what resolution the Roadmate DashCam records or how large its internal memory is. We're hoping for at least 720p HD; anything below that would make it difficult to read license plate numbers in the footage. Magellan also doesn't state whether location, speed, and direction data are captured alongside the footage, though to omit this data in the presence of the Roadmate's GPS sensor would be foolish.
On the business end, users are able to monitor a live view of the road ahead on the portable navigation device's color touch screen, but more often the display will be used to show live maps and turn-by-turn navigation. A fleshed out feature set that includes landmark guidance, PhantomAlert, graphic lane guidance, and free lifetime traffic and map updates, cement the 6230T-LM's position near the top of Magellan's line.
Additionally, the 6230T-LM is able to support Magellan's wireless back-up camera (sold separately) to give drivers a view of the road behind the car while reversing.
The Magellan Roadmate 6230T-LM PND with DashCam is expected to be available in April 2014 at an MSRP of $229.99. Garmin's unitasker Dash Cam 20 retails for $249.99 and doesn't navigate like the Roadmate does, so it'll be interesting to see these products go toe-to-toe later this year.