Inside Black Car

Uber Technologies (UBER) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 23:20:00 +0000

Uber Technologies (UBER) closed the most recent trading day at $30.68, moving +0.82% from the previous trading session. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.45%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.36%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.52%.

Heading into today, shares of the ride-hailing company had lost 17.2% over the past month, lagging the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 5.91% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.08% in that time.

TLC Education

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 23:13:00 +0000

The TLC’s Driver Education Team wants to hear from you! Last year, the TLC overhauled the driver training curriculum to better prepare new drivers in the daily operations of for hire driving. We are now turning our focus to experienced drivers. What training resources can help you work smarter and safer? Some drivers have told us they want to know how to navigate the city better, so they do not have to rely on their phone to map the way. Others want to be better prepared to assist passengers with disabilities because it’s been a while since they took the training. We have also heard from drivers who want to practice chatting with passengers, so they can improve their tips. Let us know what would help you by sending your suggestions to education@tlc.nyc.gov.

Read more

Company eyes deal with Postmates as Covid-19 surge dims hopes for near-term recovery in rides business

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 23:11:00 +0000

The ride-hailing company has been trying to expand its food-delivery business to compensate for the collapse of its main business.

SAN FRANCISCO — Uber has made a takeover offer to buy Postmates, the upstart delivery service, according to three people familiar with the matter, as the on-demand food delivery market consolidates and Uber looks for new ways to make money.

The two companies could reach a deal as early as Monday evening, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to do so publicly. The talks are still going on, the people cautioned, and any potential for a deal could fall apart.

Uber Under Pressure to Beef Up Food Delivery

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 23:08:00 +0000

Company eyes deal with Postmates as Covid-19 surge dims hopes for near-term recovery in rides business

Uber Technologies Inc. needs a win.

After a failed bid for Grubhub Inc., the ride-hailing giant is trying to buy much smaller food-delivery company Postmates Inc. as it seeks surer footing in the era of Covid-19.

The San Francisco-based company needs to get stronger in the competitive world of food delivery as the pandemic has crushed its...

Uber and Lyft say regulator can’t make drivers employees

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 23:06:00 +0000

Uber and Lyft may be headed for a showdown with the California agency that regulates them.

The San Francisco ride-hailing companies, along with two smaller ride service for children called HopSkipDrive and Zum, on Tuesday filled papers challenging the authority of the California Public Utilities Commission to determine that their drivers are employees.

This Uber Eats driver is on track to make $100,000 a year – here’s how he’s doing it

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 23:03:00 +0000

Sam Lyon likes a good challenge.

And when his new job fell through because of a coronavirus hiring freeze, Lyon wanted to aim high.

That’s when Lyon, 26, decided to create what he calls the “Uber Eats Challenge.”

The Salem, Oregon, resident committed to doing deliveries for 12 hours per day, every day, for the month of June at a pace of $100,000 a year, and tracking his progress on the social media platform TikTok.

By the end of the month, he had made 795 deliveries and driven nearly 5,000 miles. Check out this video for a full breakdown of how much money he earned and to see what he learned from the experience.

#Uber Driver ‘Traumatized’ After Woman Jumps Out Of Car In O’Neill Tunnel

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 14:24:00 +0000

Luz Ayala says a woman jumped out of her car while she was driving through the O’Neill Tunnel (WBZ-TV)

A Boston lady was fundamentally harmed when she all of a sudden bounced out of a vehicle and into heavy traffic in the O'Neill Tunnel Monday morning.

Uber driver Luz Ayala says her traveler appeared to be distressed getting into her vehicle at the air terminal. Her records with Uber and Lyft have been solidified while police explore.

The traveler didn't have the Uber application. As indicated by, Ayala, she thumped on her window and appeared to be edgy about returning home.

"I feel damaged," Ayala said in a meeting with WBZ. "I've never experienced something to that effect. I've never been in a tough situation."

Ayala separated crying as she remembered the bad dream. She heard her secondary lounge entryway open and that traveler was no more.

Read more here.

#Uber is trying out an audio recording highlight that gives you a chance to report your driver

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 14:48:00 +0000

Uber might test out a component that gives you a chance to voice record your driver and report it to the organization on the off chance that you ever begin to feel dangerous.

Designer Jane Manchun Wong tweeted Monday that Uber is trying an apparatus called "Record Sound" for you to utilize in case you're "awkward with the ride." Wong, who figures out applications, was one of the first to find that Instagram was trying out concealing preferences months back.

Wong tweeted that she didn't test out Uber's beta-test highlight since she was in a "genuine Uber ride" when she found it.

As per Wong's screen capture of the Uber application, the component gives off an impression of being a piece of the organization's "Security Toolbox" which incorporates access to imparting your outing status to family and companions, revealing issues and reaching police.

Uber wasn't promptly accessible for input.

Prior in September, Uber took off RideCheck, a framework intended to hail bizarre occasions like long stops or vehicle collides with protect travelers and Uber drivers – a move made after a few prominent strike outrages.

In the course of the most recent two years, the organization has supported endeavors to make riders feel more secure in the wake of managing a prominent homicide argument and rape objections against drivers.

Prior in 2019, a South Carolina understudy was murdered in the wake of getting into a vehicle she confused with a Uber. In 2018, Denver police said a Uber driver lethally shot a traveler.

Additionally in 2018, female riders recorded a proposed class-activity suit against Uber, blaming the ride-sharing firm for poor driver verifying that prompted a huge number of travelers suffering inappropriate behavior and assault.

Uber Spotlights On Safety Features Amid Criticism

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Uber riders in certain urban communities will before long have the option to content 911 straightforwardly from the application and naturally transmit insights regarding their areas and the vehicles they're in to crisis responders.

The highlights, declared Thursday by Uber, are among a heap of wellbeing updates anticipated the following a half year, as the ride-hail organization prepares to discharge a report itemizing rapes and different genuine security occurrences including Uber drivers and riders.

Uber likewise reviewed three highlights to make a big appearance by right on time one year from now to enable riders to guarantee they're in their allocated drivers' vehicles before their rides start. The progressions pursue a March episode when a driver professing to work for Uber supposedly murdered an understudy after she got into an inappropriate vehicle. A select in PIN highlight will incite riders to give drivers the right four-digit code before the driver can start the ride. A ultrasonic sign element, still being worked on, would enable drivers' and riders' telephones to quietly affirm a match before starting the ride. Another facial-acknowledgment fueled driver ID procedure will compel drivers to more "effectively" affirm that they're the individual who is utilizing the record, by squinting, grinning, and blowing some people's minds for the camera.

In urban communities where crisis responders can react to instant messages, Uber riders will before long have the option to content to 911 from inside the application.

Uber declared designs for the report on rapes in May 2018, yet didn't indicate when it would be discharged; a Uber representative said Thursday that there's still no discharge date for the report, since gathering it demonstrated more troublesome than the organization foreseen. At a Wednesday instructions, wellbeing item head Sachin Kansal declined to talk about how regularly clients end up in risky circumstances during Uber rides, and how frequently they utilize the organization's in-application apparatuses to contact either law requirement or the organization.

An examination by the Washington Post distributed for the current week found that the contractual workers alloted to research and resolve provocation and attack cases confronted time weights from Uber the board, and that Uber had permitted drivers confronting numerous grumblings of strike to keep on driving on the stage. A year ago, CNN detailed that at any rate 103 US Uber drivers had been blamed for attacking or manhandling their travelers since 2014.

Uber riders can pick in to another PIN include, which they can use to affirm they're in the correct vehicle.

Transmitting live Uber information to crisis responders unit isn't new. The ride-hail organization reported an association with the crisis tech organization RapidSOS a year ago that permits riders who call 911 through Uber's in-application wellbeing toolbox to quickly send increasingly precise area information. San Francisco started utilizing the tech this April, however a representative for the city's Emergency Management division says no rider has yet utilized the instrument. This, Kansal says, is most likely uplifting news. The 911 call and content component is "one that, as an item proprietor, I trust never gets utilized, in light of the fact that we don't need individuals to have crises," he says.

Dash cams for Driver Safety:

Related: Uber Dual Lens Dash Cam Built-in GPS

#WednesdayWisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 20:33:00 +0000

"You just have to keep driving down the road. It's going to bend and curve and you'll speed up and slow down, but the road keeps going."

- Elllen DeGeneres

#TechTuesday Garmin DriveSmart 60 NA LMT GPS Navigator System with Lifetime Maps and Traffic

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 17:05:00 +0000

Online Review:

DRIVER ALERTS - Receive alerts for upcoming sharp curves, speed changes, school zones, a fatigue warning, nearby red light and speed cameras and more
This USB mass storage device is compatible with Windows XP or newer and Mac OS X 10.4 or later.EASY TO USE - Dedicated GPS navigators display current street, current speed, speed limit and arrival time
GARMIN REAL DIRECTIONS - Guides like a friend, using recognizable landmarks, buildings and traffic lights. Battery life up to 1 hour
SMARTPHONE NOTIFICATIONS - Customizable smart notifications let you display calls, texts and other app alerts on your navigation screen (select models)
HANDS-FREE NAVIGATION - Bluetooth calling and voice-activated navigation allow your hands to remain safely on the wheel as you navigate and make or receive calls

Reviews:

This is a new version of the excellent Garmin nuvi 2689; however, consider getting the 2689 (or any 2X89 or 2X99) instead

With heavy use & experimentation of a DriveSmart unit during the first month of its release, I came away with mixed feelings about this new Garmin DriveSmart line, after an initially positive first impression. I ultimately found that the DriveSmart GPS is not quite as good as its immediate processors in a few key ways, while making some relatively modest improvements in some handy – but arguably less important – ways. To be clear, I bought the DriveSmart 60 with my own money, at full price, and the DriveSmart 50, 60, & 70 are all identical, aside from screen size (with 5”, 6”, and 7” inch screens, respectively).

The DriveSmart was a good unit, overall, and fairly impressive in some respects. But a programming glitch rendered it almost useless in my area, because it would seemed to choose routes that always avoided dirt roads here, even when that would clearly be the fastest route (even after I had toggled off unpaved roads as an avoidance). As a programming glitch, future software updates should presumably be able to fix that kind of flaw. However, more importantly, I found my 2014/2015 Garmin Nuvi 2699 to be a bit easier to work with and less frustrating, largely because it understands my vocal commands more readily. Despite a few new features I really appreciated in the DriveSmarts (especially the audio indicator of lower speed limits), I ended up returning mine. Instead, I plan to get a far less expensive certified refurbished 2689 from the 2014/2015 model line for our second car.

The bottom line is that the DriveSmart series provides solid GPS in most respect, and there is no question that it represents a vast improvement over any Garmin from prior to the 2014 automotive GPS line, as well as constituting an improvement over most of the Garmin 2014/2015 models (save for those models I mention below), as well as over all of the GPS units I have had the opportunity to try from other companies to date (very few of which have voice command functionality at all, which I consider to be essential in a GPS.)

But my recommendation is to at least look into the Garmin Nuvi 2X89 models from the 2014/15 line before buying your GPS (i.e., models 2589, 2689, 2789, with the second number indicating screen size). They are the immediate predecessors to this new line, and they are considerably less expensive than the DriveSmart models. Or, if you drive in a major cities frequently, you might want to consider a 2X99 model (i.e. a 2599, 2699, or 2799, which is the same as the 2X89 model, except that it adds HD traffic, which is the main advantage of the DriveLuxe model over the DriveSmart). It only adds value in a fairly narrow list of geographic areas though (see the “traffic options” section below for more on that) so the extra money it costs would probably not be worth it for many buyers.---

Read more here.

Purchase here.

Uber Gets Only A Two-Month London Permit With New Safety Restrictions

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 16:54:00 +0000

LONDON—Uber Technologies Inc. UBER - 4.91% lost its most recent exertion to verify a long haul working permit in London, dragging out a time of examination in one of the ride-hailing organization's most significant worldwide markets.

Transport for London, or TfL, the U.K. capital's principle transportation controller, allowed Uber a two-month permit rather, saying despite everything it expected to lead more audit before considering any more drawn out term permit. The two-month grant is among the briefest the organization has allowed.

The short administrative rope is a new difficulty for Uber, which under Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi has tried to fix relations with authorities and controllers around the globe.

TfL in 2017 would not restore Uber's long haul permit to work as a private vehicle contract administration, saying the organization expected to improve its way of life and administration and address security issues raised by the controller. After an intrigue, Uber won a 15-month permit that was set to lapse Wednesday.

The controller said had it approached Uber for data identified with traveler security, protection and driver documentation checks and would utilize that to think about whether to allow any new permit.

Under Mr. Khosrowshahi's antecedent, fellow benefactor Travis Kalanick, Uber frequently transparently tested administrative oversight in new showcases. While that prompted enormous piece of the pie gains in the organization's initial years, it likewise delivered a progression of legitimate and administrative mishaps that wounded Uber's notoriety.

"We will continue tuning in, learning and improving to give the best administration while being a confided in accomplice to London," said Jamie Heywood, Uber's provincial head supervisor for Northern and Eastern Europe.

Mr. Khosrowshahi underscored the significance of the organization's association with London controllers during a call with financial specialists in August. "We are attempting our best to be phenomenal accomplices with TfL," he said.

The stakes for Uber have ascended in the a long time since it its permit was first put under survey here. London has been one of the organization's greatest markets as far as dynamic clients. Early a year ago, Uber tallied 3.6 million dynamic riders every month in the U.K. capital—at the time about 5% of its all out all inclusive.

Benjamin Black, co-head of web value examine at Evercore ISI, gauges London is likewise one of Uber's main five urban areas as far as productivity.

In a city where open vehicle can be stressed and vehicle proprietorship is restrictively costly for some inhabitants, Uber has given a well known option in contrast to speedy excursions around town—frequently as a less expensive option in contrast to London's omnipresent dark taxis for longer trips, for instance to the air terminal.

New contestants, for example, Indian ride-hailing firm Ola Cabs, Estonian contender Bolt Technology OU and Israel's Gett are making more challenge, especially in focal London.

Uber, Lyft drivers pledge to proceed with battle for Unions in spite of organization pushback

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 20:43:00 +0000

Uber and Lyft drivers looking to frame associations hailed another California law requiring gig economy laborers to be delegated workers as a pivotal triumph. In any case, their arrangements are in limbo as the organizations pledge to battle the law.

The drivers are preparing for a crisp fight with the ride-hailing organizations, which are trying to persuade California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to exclude them from following Get together Bill 5.

"We have gotten notification from the business that they're not going to keep the law, so we have many battles ahead," says Nicole Moore, a driver and coordinator with Rideshare Drivers Joined together. "We are focused on fundamental business rights, an essential pay. We can't depend on anything from [Uber and Lyft]."

Laborers' gatherings contend that while AB5 offers essential securities, aggregate haggling is the most ideal approach to handle key issues, for example, falling wages and an absence of straightforwardness from the organization over changes to the application that effect their work.

"The primary deterrent is they wouldn't have the option to deal over compensation without an association," says Alex Rosenblat, an exploration lead at Information and Society who has gone through years examining ride-hail drivers.

Be that as it may, Uber and Lyft are demanding laborers don't really should be representatives to have dealing rights. They are proposing to Newsom's office an elective arrangement that would incorporate paying drivers a $21 the lowest pay permitted by law for consistently spent driving or getting a traveler, giving them access to advantages paid for by the organization, and the capacity to by and large deal over wages as self employed entities — through a yet-to-be-set up state-run board.

"We concur with Gov. Newsom that California still has a chance to help the greater part of rideshare drivers who need an attentive arrangement that offsets adaptability with income assurances and securities," Adrian Durbin, executive of correspondences for Lyft, said in an announcement. "We are certain that with his authority we can arrive at a notable understanding."

Be that as it may, the gatherings dismiss these thoughts, demanding that laborers can have full dealing rights and assurances just when they are viewed as workers. "They're simply looking at denying drivers fundamental rights. They're touting 'convenient advantages' when representative status gives laborers a large number of those advantages as of now," Moore lets me know. "They're making a third classification of laborers who won't get the fundamental work securities of business."

The resurgent clash between the drivers and organizations could have national ramifications for the fate of gig economy laborers. Gig economy laborers have just turned into a blaze point in the 2020 races. Competitors including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and South Curve, Ind., City hall leader Pete Buttigieg have bolstered the possibility of industry-wide dealing and required a conclusion to the misclassification of gig laborers, for example, Uber and Lyft drivers as self employed entities.

Drivers' challenges so far have grabbed applicants' eye, and the groundswell of calls for associations could keep the weight on California government officials to stand firm. Rideshare Drivers Joined together, which framed in Los Angeles a year ago as an autonomous relationship of ride-hail drivers and has in excess of 5,000 individuals, isn't the only one in trying to unite drivers for aggregate dealing. The Administration Representatives Global Association, the Teamsters, and the Amalgamated Travel Association have all been drawn closer by drivers trying to arrange.

"Our primary center isn't simply to assemble our numbers, our principle center is to help these individuals that have never been in an association, to sort out them and demonstrate to them how it is to have a bearable compensation and advantages," Workmanship Aguilar, California meeting board seat of the Amalgamated Travel Association, lets me know.

He expelled endeavors from the organizations to fix the law as "battling the inescapable." "Everything they're doing is deferring them paying up for these workers that they have to perceive," Aguilar says.

However Uber and Lyft, close by conveyance fire up DoorDash, have promised to proceed with a $90 million crusade for a polling form measure to challenge the law on the off chance that they can't prevent it from becoming effective before Jan. 1. "In the event that important we are set up to take this issue to the voters to safeguard the opportunity and access drivers and travelers need," Durbin said.

A few pundits of associations for ride-hailing drivers have rejected that such a scattered workforce can sort out. In any case, Rideshare Drivers Joined has had the option to utilize online life and its very own application to sort out drivers who aren't typically in the equivalent physical space and have no customary method to meet.

What's more, some Uber drivers have just recorded a legal claim against the organization for misclassifying them as self employed entities after the law passed and are requesting that the court require the organization to promptly order them as workers.

Drivers, for example, Moore state they have motivation to be suspicious that Uber and Lyft's proposed trade off will give indistinguishable assurances from representative status.

To begin with, they state there are now enormous issues with the organizations' elective proposition for drivers in California. The $21 an hour the lowest pay permitted by law Uber and Lyft offered as a trade off spreads just time grabbing and driving travelers — which the gatherings state just speaks to a small amount of the time spent in the driver's seat for drivers.

Furthermore, the drivers are taking a gander at what happened when New York City stepped in to control the organizations' treatment and pay of gig laborers. Since New York City passed a law a year ago ordering a lowest pay permitted by law of somewhat over $17 an hour for ride-hail drivers, the organizations have restricted drivers' entrance to the applications during moderate periods. The organizations contend they did this to agree to the law, however drivers, who challenged in New York a week ago, state it's an infringement of the standards and an approach to move expenses to drivers.

There's likewise a mind boggling question of how the new California law converges with the Trump organization's past choices on gig laborers. The Trump organization discharged a reminder in May saying that ride-hailing drivers are not representatives, and in this manner aren't secured by the National Work Relations Act, the government law that enables workers to unionize.

Along these lines, some work specialists are stating there should be significantly more activity than AB5 to make the issue perfectly clear: possibly through another law unequivocally giving the drivers the privilege to deal as representatives.

"It's something that the representative may need to address," Rosenblat says.

Get your next GPS here.
Related Articles: Washington Post

5 Must Have Strengths For Dispatchers

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 17:59:00 +0000

CheckR Now Worth $2.2 Billion Thanks to Uber & Lyft

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 19:43:00 +0000

As Uber and Lyft have developed, their ascent has helped float another business: Checkr, a startup that runs personal investigations on gig economy laborers. Ride-sharing helped its business take off, however the organization is currently preparing historical verification's for retailers like Hot Topic to staffing offices, for example, Adecco for an aggregate of 42 million surveys and checking.

"It's truly determined by the evolving workforce. A great deal of the workforce is changing to an a lot higher recurrence of individuals evolving occupations, individuals having numerous employments," says CEO Daniel Yanisse. "That is extremely the driver for our business."

On Thursday, Checkr declared it has raised an extra $160 million in endeavor financing from T. Rowe Price and different speculators including Mary Meeker's Bond Capital and Coatue Management. The new round dramatically increases the previous Forbes Next Billion-Dollar startup's valuation to $2.2 billion and carries its all out subsidizing to $310 million.

The money implantation will go toward aiding Checkr grow globally, past the U.S. what's more, Canada where it got its beginning in 2014. Yanisse and his fellow benefactor, Jonathon Perichon, two Forbes 30 Under 30 rundown alums, propelled Checkr five years prior subsequent to perceiving how awful record verification innovation was while working at conveyance startup Deliv. The pair built up a simple method to all the more rapidly mechanize the record verification procedure, and organizations from Uber to DoorDash to Instacart marked on.

They brought business, yet in addition discussion. Ride-hailing drivers are regularly in the features for grabbing, assaulting or attacking travelers. Most as of late, an eatery proprietor in Las Vegas sued DoorDash after he guarantees he was assaulted by a DoorDash conveyance specialist who purportedly had a criminal history. News reports state that the conveyance specialist had purportedly passed his personal investigation since it possibly returns seven years–the timeframe when the driver was in jail, as indicated by reports. (Checkr declined to remark on explicit cases.)

"I think our item is the best accessible item in the nation for wellbeing and for individual verifications, yet the historical verification is certainly not a silver projectile," Yanisse says. "It can't foresee what's to come."

The organization has reacted to analysis by taking off "Persistent Check", an item propelled in 2018 that does progressing looks into people as opposed to once before they start working. (Both Lyft and Uber are currently utilizing the ceaseless checking framework.) Checkr, No. 56 on the Cloud 100, likewise has a personality confirmation framework to help counter individuals taking characters to get a spotless record verification.

"It's an extremely difficult issue. Fraudsters and crooks are continually going to discover better approaches to hack through the framework, and like a security organization, we generally need to continue adding various innovations and answers for continue improving," Yanisse says.

While numerous organizations still pay per record verification, Checkr's new items have likewise helped it grow month to month membership income—something both private and open financial specialists will in general like. Yanisse declined to remark on the organization's financials, yet said it was near gainfulness, while an IPO was a couple of years off. Rather, he's centered around Checkr extending to the remainder of the globe in 2020 and putting the new $160 million to utilize.

"It is anything but an accomplishment all alone," he says of multiplying the organization's valuation. "It's an approval of the quality of our position, having had the option to develop past just innovation organizations."

#Cars 2019 Lincoln Continental

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 14:30:00 +0000

What’s new

Minor adjustments to features availability
Part of the 10th Continental generation introduced in 2017

Pros & Cons

Exceptional rear-seat legroom
Strong optional V6 engine with capable AWD system
Cabin stays quiet at highway speeds
Interior and build quality are a bit inferior to other luxury rivals
Value factor is lacking
Occasional rough and disruptive shifts from the automatic transmission

Check more info on the Lincoln Continental at Edmonds.

#WednesdayWisdom “The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself...

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 13:20:00 +0000

“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.”

― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

Blackvue DR900S-1CH | 4K Dashcam | 1-Channel | 16GB SD Card

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 13:13:00 +0000

Online Review:

Good quality unit. Poor support.
Unit arrived yesterday. Installation in the car is super easy (except running the power cable, but that's not Blackvue's issue. It did come with a little "pry tool" to help slipping the cable under the headliner, so kudos for that).

Technically, the unit seems to be very well built and generally operates as advertised. For some reason, the Wi-Fi on my unit is intermittent.

The picture quality is pretty good. It doesn't quite capture license plates while moving, but other than that it is quite good.

The manual is mediocre at best and the online support is about the same. Reaching out to the support team has resulted in no response in 18 hours. Not ideal.

The iOs app is completely non-sensical and I can't find any documentation. The OSX application is worse.

Still, the best dashcam unit I've found.

Works Great!
Love the camera system. It's small so it doesn't interfere with my vision out the front of the truck. It doesn't have a monitor built in...but then, why would you want to see what the camera sees? Your'e already looking out the windshield. I used the wireless connection to my phone just to verify functionality and the angle of tilt to capture everything in view.

Easy install, works with other SD cards, excellent quality.
Easy to install and worked with bundled 128Gb memory. When you first power up the camera, it will prompt you to check the SD card, format the card in camera (instructions easy to follow) then it will initialize, load files and start recording immediately. Wireless connection to phone was very easy, good field of view and excellent picture. Was larger than i expected, but still hid behind rearview mirror.

Read more here.

Motorola MDC150 On-board Cam, Dashcam

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 20:35:00 +0000

Online Review:

High quality durable dash cam

High quality image even at night time, really easy to use and straight forward recording process. It is heavier than other cheap ones but it is due to being better quality. Really happy with it

Buy at Amazon.

Thinkware F800 PRO 2-Channel Bundle 1080P FHD WiFi Rearview Camera | 32GB SD Card | Cigarette Lighter Adapter Cable & Hardwiring Kit Included

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 17:44:00 +0000

Online Review:

Gets hot
I have had installed for a month now and so far the only issue that I have had is that it gets hot in the California sunlight. What it does is restarts, I know because I hear "continuous recording has started then GPS connected", until cooled. I just turn my A/C on with the windshield defroster on high. Since "winter is coming" lol (Game of Thrones followers know what I mean, the outside temperature will be cooler, then I'm sure this will not be an issue as it is a nuisance, fingers crossed. I had it installed at Best Buy, took about an hour. The installer did a great job and said this was easy for him to install. Since he had the experience and tools I figured this would be the case. After picking up the car from Best buy, connection the device to my iPhone took me awhile to figure out. KEY thing, have the app installed and open before connecting WiFi. The picture quality is good, rear camera not as good as rear as in specs, I also have rear tint, considering this its better than expected. Hopefully the over heating issue gets resolved at some point. Since the unit is black and mounted to the windshield, a heat sink or something might be considered. I'll bet a small micro fan would work since there are many that are less than a dime in size or smaller. The unit supposedly has a shutoff function if it senses battery drainage is excessive, so include the fan into this circuit.

As a front and back dash cam it works great, but for the cloud and wifi connectivity

I got this for our minivan primarily for going on road trips. Over the years of driving cross country, I've seen a lot of stuff that you just wish you've had video of it. I got the f800Pro based on reviews, and for all black and 128GB memory card compared to the F800. As a front and back dash cam it works great, but for the cloud and wifi connectivity, I removed two stars.

1) The cloud service is useless and nonfunctional for me at the moment. When the cloud service was working the only thing it can do is location and geo-fence. With car being connected from the factory (onboard WIFI), I already have location and geo fencing already. When I was looking a the marketing bullet list for the F800Pro, it lists cloud service but very little detailed information. I was expecting to be able to do configuration from the cloud, download video from cloud, and maybe do real-time video. Bottom line, the cloud feature is useless for just location and geo fence. If the car is already connected, you inherently have these features, if the car is not connected whoever is driving the car will have to have a hotspot enabled to have it work. Thinkware can keep the location and geo fence, just give me the remote management via the cloud, then you have something. Other than that, the current cloud service is just marketing vaporware, don't buy for this feature.

2) You can only use the Thinkware app connected to the f800 Pro using the device's WIFI or Hotspot on your phone. I have the F800 Pro configured for the car's Hotspot and the device will always say "connected to the internet" when it's up and running, but for some reason I can not have my phone also connected the car's Hotspot to be able to use the Thinkware app for configuration; the app will never be able to find the device on the local network. Same goes for using the house WIFI. Using F800 Pro WIFI or my phone hotspot adds an extra step just to access the files and sometimes it can be a hit or miss to get it working.

Update May 9th, 2018:
I got a response from Thinkware about the cloud service not working. They said it only works with the phone hotspot and not the car's hotspot. This is turning out the be even more useless. I have to keep my phone hotspot on to use the cloud just to see where I'm already am. I don't know if this a "can" response to all questions related to why the cloud service is not working or a miss understanding of the issue. Like a said when I first setup the cloud service it worked with the car WIFI and I can be at home to see where my car is located. Like a said before I really don't need this feature because its provided by the car connected telemetry service. This is just to show the cloud service is inoperable and featureless. I took away another star to support. It will connect the car's WIFI which is a hotspot via cellular but will not work with cloud because it's not the phone I used to configure F800 pro for WIFI.

a real disappointment from a great company. Dont waste your time, go get the F750, it's cheaper and WAAAAAY more reliable.
wow am i disappointed. I read a lot of reviews prior to purchasing the F800. I also own 2 F750 models already, both of which have been awesome little units, with ZERO trouble. But I got a new car and I figured I'd upgrade to the F800. Many people have been talking about poor performance or equipment problems with the F800, but I figured I've had 2 units of the same line, so I'd just go with it. Well, yeah... I'm disappointed. This thing is terrible! The wifi connection is incredibly unstable, it flat out refuses to accept any configuration changes, it reboots repeatedly and drops the wifi connection, the rear camera does not come thru and when you select the "flip side" camera button in live view, it immediately crashes the app and the camera, and so much more. I sat in my car for 2 1/2 hours messing with it, rebooting it, playing with the app, restarting my phone, and more. It just won't stay connected, it won't take any configuration changes, it crashes immediately upon trying to view the rear camera, and more.

Also, a lot of people have been giving bad reviews on the cloud storage feature, but I can't speak to that because I can't even get the camera to connect long enough to set it up.

This unit is going back. I'll probably just go get another F750 since I know that one works.

Read more here.

Philips automotive lighting 56750XM Philips GoSure ADR820 Dashcam, Black

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 17:16:00 +0000

Online Review:

Better on paper than in real life, but records great sound quality
This is a pretty average dash-cam that looks better on paper than it performs in real-life. I've owned a few dash-cameras now (5, due to various failures and upgrades) and I have a good idea of what I think is useful and what isn't on a dashcam.

If you're new to dash cams, they record video while you drive to give you a reliable witness in the event of an accident. They start recording as soon as you power them up and record segments of video of specific durations. In the case of this camera you can choose 1, 3, or 5 minutes duration for each recorded segment. The camera records in a loop like a security camera, so when the memory card is full, the camera starts overwriting the earliest recordings. In the event of an accident, or you see something you wish to preserve, there is a lock button, which tells the camera not to record over the segment it is recording.

Features:
It has a good few interesting sounding features, some of which are no use.

First up is the ability to connect it to your phone, to review live footage and also review earlier recordings.
There's a giant screen which is lovely, but useless after you first set the camera up and the novelty wears off. I never look at my dash-cam screen, apartt from checking it's on and recording.

Next is the ability to add a rear camera, which is great. However the rear camera is £70, which is expensive.
There's also a GPS module you can add, which at £30 is fair enough. I'd rather see it built-in, and some of the other features dropped. There's also a driver fatigue warning beep. I know not why. There's a crash detector, which is standard on these cameras, as well as motion detection, which can be useful for guarding your car when it's parked.
There is also the ability to add exposure compensation, which can be handy or confusing, depending on whether you know your +EV2 from your elbow or not. I think it's better to just make it work well on automatic exposure, but there are instances where some adjustement is very useful. You can enable/disable the microphone too.
There is no forward-facing light on this dash-cam, which I'm happy about.

Build quality and construction
It seems quite nicely made from quality materials, but I don't think it's been made by people who have much experience with dash cameras. There's a window sucker mount, with a pretty sturdy connector which is adjustable for tilt and rotation and works pretty well, I have to say, I'd rather have a more secure mount in my car, such as the one on my Aukey DR02 D, which I used to compare this Philips with, but the mount for this Philips is a very good example of its type.

Operation
It's fairly easy to set up, and time date and settings are all easy to enter.
The WiFi connection relies on an app being installed on your phone. It is just a gimmick as far as I'm concerned. It works if you can keep it connected to your phone via the WiFi, but I found this a bit hit and miss.
When I am driving, I do not need live footage of my dash came from my phone, and after an accident, there's no assurance I'll be able to use my phone/dashcam.

Because connection was so unreliable (Samsung Note8), I can't see me using this at all. But I have to wonder why the dashcam needs a 2.7" screen if Philips be;ieve users can simply review footage on their phone? Why not either make all settings via your phone and do away with the need for a big screen, or just don't bother with the phone connection.
It takes about 16 seconds to establish a connection, which seems a long time to me, especially as it loses connection if your screen goes off. (As my phone does after 15 seconds if I don't touch the screen.) You'll also need power supplied to your dash-cam (not unreasonably) to allow you to communicate with it. Taking the memory card out is a lot less aggro, as far as I'm concerned.

Video performance is okay, but nothing special. I'm pleased to say the mounting is solid enough, and doesn't allow the camera to vibrate, which is great. Audio quality is excellent, better than my DR02 D.

Like so many dash cameras, the "LOCK" button is far too discrete, and I would like to be able top tell which button it was without having to know which button to press, or look. I've solved this problem on the camera I use in my car, with a little blob of hot glue, which means I can feel which button I need to press to lock a recorded segment. Probably a warranty-voiding modification, so probably not something to try at home, folks.

Conclusion
A side-by-side comparison of a frame from my Aukey and the Philips (see pics above) shows the Philips to not quite match the detail returned by the Aukey DR02 D. While the Philips boasts a very wide view, it actually seems too wide to me, and I prefer the Aukey, which is plenty wide enough. (The shadow on the right hand of the Philips screen is my Aukey). Given that the Aukey DR02 D comes supplied with a rear camera, for the same money as the Philips which comes without one, I can't recommend the Philips ADR820 when there are better dash-cams for the same money, and dash-cams just as good (sound quality aside) available for less.

This is very much a "me-too!" dash-cam from Philips, which adds nothing new and doesn't out-perform other dash-cams. Philips need to up their game if they want to compete against the likes of Aukey.

Nothing Special (Except 2 Camera Support)
The unit is quite large with the screen and could almost be a compact handheld camera and thus is not very discreet.

As it has no GPS by default I bought the optional GPS mount to add that feature (even with that the date and time has to be set manually "flinstones, meet the flinstones".

Also of course you will need a microsd card and for reliability pick one best suited for continuous use (cost a little more but should last longer).

I used a SanDisk SDSDQQ-032G-G46A High Endurance Video Monitoring microSD Card - 32 GB

The mount is not as rigid as I would like but seems on normal roads to stop the camera wobbling.

All the video recorded has the word "PHILIPS" recorded into it centre top of image (just what you need) and the normal status line at the bottom with the model number and the date and time in American format (no option for dd/mm/yy) which is also pretty poor for a European company.

The video recording quality is nothing special and no better than that produced by my old one which retails at a lower price with GPS integrated (and had lane and speed warnings).

It does however support a rear camera but requires a cable from that to the main unit which is far from elegant and on a hatchback even more of a problem.

I almost forgot. When I was first testing it if powered up for more than a couple of hours the audio recording would turn form being pretty good to a increasing level of crackling to a point when that is all you could hear.

If left powered off it would recover and work again.

Perhaps a one off or sign of a cheap design / problems with heat (in December).

More review here.

Nextbase 422GW Dash Cam 2.5" HD 1440p Touch Screen Car Dashboard Camera, Amazon Alexa, WiFi, GPS, Emergency SOS, Wireless, Black

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 16:49:00 +0000

Online Review:

Best dash cam I've ever owned.
After buying many dash cams over the last few years ranging in price from $50 to $300, and being disappointed by image quality, build quality, app integration or appearance, I have finally found the one. This is the best picture quality, hands down, and there is a lot more to like about this unit. What i have realized is that not all 1080p or 1440 images are equal, this nextbase product far exceeds the other "HD" cameras i have used.
The app works seamless, and Alexa is really cool and i just ordered some things off amazon i needed for home while driving. The installation process took 10 mins and i will be purchasing the hardwire kit accessory as well.
This unit has emergency SOS that will alert emergency responders in the case of an accident if I am not able to reach the camera or my phone, i like that safety feature for my family.
I highly recommend this product to all my family, friends and anyone looking to get a dash cam, and will buy another for my wifes vehicle.
Note: buy a sd card along with the camera.

Great Dashcam
I use this in my truck to protect against road ragers, which are more and more frequent. So far, anything I've wanted to capture has been easy to get using the big red button. Occasionally the camera wants to re-format the SD Card, so make sure you move your videos to your phone (if you want to keep them) pretty often. App works great and I LOVE the modular camera that films out the rear of my truck...so much easier than buying multiple cameras.

Mostly good, one major issue in my device
This dashcam is packed with features and send well-designed. I like that the rear-facing camera (extra cost) plugs into the main unit and doesn't require any other configuration.

As soon as I unpacked it, I was promoted to do a firmware update. This requires the SD card to be installed. I found installing the card was a little different than what I'm used to with other devices. When properly seated, it is recessed. This requires a tool, such as a small screwdriver, to push it in to remove the card.

On actual use, I have found a few issues. The device sometimes gets extremely hot. Hot enough to burn. The heat seems to be generated by the magnet/power connection. I haven't been able to isolate this to any particular circumstances. Also, even though I have turned the sounds off, the device still makes being sounds, but only sometimes. Additionally, I have turned the dashcam off to just let the battery charge while I am driving, and it will invariably turn itself on and start recording. This is with the G-sensor off.

I bought this one because it was the top rated dashcam, as rated by PC World. I subsequently went to the Nextbase website and saw there was a higher model. I wondered what was missing in the one I bought, but I couldn't figure it out. I looked for a model comparison chart, but couldn't find one.

To sum up, I like the features and how it operates, but there seem to be a few flaws. Most concerning to me is it's propensity to get hot. I would like to hardwire the power, but I won't work the heat issue.

Read more here.

Garmin Dash Cam 66W, Extra-Wide 180-degree Field of View in 1440p HD, 2" LCD Screen and Voice Control, Very Compact with Automatic Incident Detection and Recording

noreply@blogger.com (Fausto Polanco) — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 16:34:00 +0000

Online Reviews:

Dashcam Mini Great Choice
I only used it for a few days so far. Video footage is not bad. I’ll upload more over the coming weeks. Great dash cam if you’re afraid of people breaking into your car for a lcd screen dashcam. And also if you don’t want to take the dash cam on and off due to fear of people breaking into your car. It’s so small you can just leave on your windshield and just plug in power when you get in car. The ease of Garmin app is pretty sweet. The camera quality is also pretty decent. If you get a dashcam and never use, then you should never bother with one. This one you can set and forget on windshield and never fear someone breaking into your car for it

Great Camera, Needs Software Support
i just bought the Garmin 66w dash cam and installed it with parking mode cable. Installation of the dash cam was easy and straight forward. The menu settings and navigation are very intuitive and well laid out. I love the voice command feature and the 180 degree view camera. There is no/very little fish bowl effect. I am very impressed with the dash cam and the Garmin drive app. Connecting the app to the cam was very simple you can adjust the settings for the camera and view videos in the app. Transferring videos to the phone was very easy. I transferred videos from my phone to my PC via Bluetooth, only to find out that Garmin dash cam video/GPS data are not compatible with the various free dash cam software available. Garmin's way of encoding GPS data makes it incompatible with currently available third-party software. Even the cheapest dash cams either have their own software or they encode their GPS data in a way that it works with the free PC/Mac software available. Garmin used to have their own PC/Mac software but it had not been updated since 2011 and was discontinued and taken of their site in 2018. I hope Garmin plans to release software, so I can view videos and GPS data in a map side by side on PC and Mac. Garmin, You need to step up your game!

6 stars! What a great product (Garmin) & worth the money!
I have the Garmin dash cam mini & and Garmin dash cam 66W

Both are easy to use, easy to step Up. The phone app is oustanding, very easy to use, Very helpful ref to angling the camera view, reviewing video, opions and set up.

The magnetic windshield mount is great & its not going to move or fall off and it has a very small foot print on ur windshield & very hard to see looking in.
WARNING, the part that sticks to your windshield, once its on the windshield there is no second try unless you get another windshield mount! Its sticks very, very well to the windshield!

Note, it can be removed from your windshield very easy. I have done once already!

$10.00 +/- for a new windshield mount on amazon.

Dash cam 66W, is perfect in size, the video quality is beyond outstanding. I can read the lic plate of the car in front of me at a red light. The 180 degree angle is great without the bubble effect, it completely covers the whole front of my jeep. The night time quality is outstanding. The video is very clear and very crisp quality!

The dash cam mini, is perfect in size if you do not want anyone to see it in your vehicle, the quality is also outstanding, the 140 degree of view is great. I use it for the rear of my jeep.

The 2 types of usb cords are long enough and It will take any type if micro usb cord.

A few Downsides:
-it does NOT come with a nicro sd card!
-you need one to use the dash cam!
-to review the video on your phone app, the dash cam needs to be on!

Personally not a deal breaker

You can & i have reviewed the video on the micro sd card on my pc & tablet with no issues!

Again the video quality is outstanding!