Gadgets like head-up displays and smart car adapters are gradually becoming more of a necessity rather than simply a convenient tool.
Today’s cars are equipped with all kinds of next-level systems and technologies including blind-spot monitors with lane change assist, wireless charging pads and speed limit info systems to ensure a flawless driving experience. With the weekly long hours we spend on the road and the perpetual risk of road accidents, these technologies seem to become more of a necessity rather than simply a convenient tool.
That said, not many cars include all of the said technologies and you certainly don’t have to buy a new car just to enjoy cool new features. Here’s four practical car gadgets available in the market to make the worst peak hour traffic a tad bit more bearable.
Head-up display
Most of us highly depend on GPS navigations to get to where we want, but using our smartphone navigation apps can sometimes be a hassle, especially when a notification pops up while we’re about to make a turn. Head-up displays are the answer to that, allowing us to view directions clearly on our windshield without any pop-ups. Powered by Google Maps, the Navdy portable head-up display provides life traffic information and dynamic rerouting to ensure you get to your intended destination as fast as possible. The steering wheel-mounted Navdy Dial allows you to interact with the device, select music from your phone, and make calls without taking your hands off the wheel. W navdy.com
Smart car adapter
Cars are next after handheld gadgets on the list of all things “smart”, so investing in a smart car adapter is definitely an intelligent move forward. One of the leading brands in the field is Automatic, which plugs into the standard diagnostics (OBD-II) port of any car to unlock all data on the car’s on-board computer. This helps you find out your engine problems, make emergency calls in the case of an accident and even remembers where you parked. Once connected to your phone via Bluetooth, you can also unlock third party apps through the Automatic App Gallery for more features, like tracking your work mileage expenses. W automatic.com
Dashcam
Although dashcams have long been around, its usage is seriously underrated. Think about it, how many times have you suddenly noticed a scratch or dent in your car without knowing the culprit behind it, or how many times have you been a victim of a hit-and-run accident? Dashcams provide valuable footage to prove who is responsible in the case of an accident. On the bright side, some dashcams like the Garmin Dash Cam™ 35 allow you to record high definition videos of a road trip with a storage of up to 64GB, which you can save and display later on your computer. W garmin.com
GPS tracker
Statistics from Insurance Services Malaysia Berhad show that one car is stolen every 24 minutes in our country, and only one in 10 of them are found and returned. With that in mind, installing a GPS tracker in your car would keep your sweat at bay by alerting you of your car’s location as frequent as every 10 seconds. The Katsana GPS tracker even stores 12 months of historical geolocation data for you to review your travel routes and dates, and will soon provide push notifications when your vehicle is moved out of a predefined area. W katsana.com