An already amazing dash cam, that offers so much more
We've reviewed a few in-car dash cams over the past months, and the burning question that's left in our minds is why cars aren't fitted with these to begin with? Having a dash cam can solve so many issues when it comes to accident reports, and insurance claims - and of course the safety aspect that comes with the knowledge that your driving, and of those around you, is going to be captured for the emergency services may well force the heavy footed individual to actually slow down and take care.
Transcend has so far produced some pretty impressive results when it comes to in-car recording. From the DrivePro range we've reviewed in the past, the 100 and 200 versions appeared to have everything you could possibly wish for or imagine in a dash cam. In all honesty, we were quite surprised to find that this new version, the 220, has managed to provide more features to help careful drivers.
The DrivePro 220 has a 1.8 aperture, low-light sensitive lens, a 3MP sensor and a built-in microphone and speaker. It weighs only 90g, and can be fitted to the windscreen of your car by either an adhesive backed mount or suction cup.
As with the previous models, Transcend throw in a 16GB SD card, which is capable of recording a good two hours' worth of HD footage, with older being written over when the card reaches its maximum limit except for emergency recordings which require a manual confirmed overwrite.
The same three-axis G-sensor as the other models use is in the 220 too. While it allows the camera to instantly start recording when sharp breaking or a collision is detected as before, with this version Transcend has added a Parking Mode that will automatically spring into life and record any detected movements or impacts that occur while the car is stationary.
This new version also includes a GPS Receiver that will log the GPS coordinates along with the time and date stamp of an event to the video footage it records. This will then allow you to accurately disclose your position to the emergency services in the unfortunate event of an accident, but it also doubles up as a log book of driving information when you hook the 220 up to a PC with the DrivePro Toolbox software installed. In such an instance, you can view the journey you've taken along with the relevant coordinates, speeds, times and any other information that could prove to be critical when dealing with the police or an insurance company.
If all that wasn't enough. Transcend has also added a Lane Departure Warning system that warns the driver when the car strays out of its lane - and a Forward Collision Warning system, which will warn a driver when their speed exceeds the road limit, and when they get too close to the car in front.
You can see then why we think every car should be fitted with this kind of technology by default. The benefits of having a DrivePro 220 fitted in your car are many. Not only are there the warning systems in place, and the GPS technology with G-sensor, but you can connect to the 220 wirelessly and via an iOS and Android app.
This is quite an amazing device, and one we're sure will impress the regular commuter or those whose livelihood is spent behind the wheel. David Hayward
A singularly impressive in car recorder, with a long list of noteworthy safety features.
Features
Dimensions: 70.2mm x 63.1mm x 34.5mm Weight: 90 g (3.17 oz)
Display Type and Size: 2.4" color LCD
Image Sensor: Low-light sensitivity CMOS, 3 mega-pixel
Lens: F/1.8, 130° wide angle
G-Sensor: 3-axis
Microphone: Built-In
Speaker: Built-In
Resolutlon/Frame rate: Full HD (1920x1080) 30FPS HD (1280x720) 30FPS
Video Formats: H.264 (MP4: up to 1920x1080 30fps)