Sage Advice About Goa Escorts From a Five-Year-Old

[Ruland Ritchie]

If you've ever seriously searched for high end radar detectors, you've probably come across both Beltronics and Escort, but did you know that they are actually the same company? That's right, a few years back, Escort actually acquired Beltronics, and since then the two companies have been sharing technologies across both brands.

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Some of the features present on both brands are auto muting of alerts, radar signal frequency display, voice alerts, auto scan modes to reduce false alerts, and volt meters. Typically the Beltronics radar detectors are less expensive due to the fact that they are missing one or two of the key features that the Escort models have. A lot of times, the Beltronics models are a better deal, but be careful you check the feature sets because the feature you are looking for may only be available on the Escort units.

While the Escort and Beltronics radar detector models are similar, there are some key differences that we'd like to point out. We recommend products from both brands, but the features differ slightly between brands, so you need to make sure you get exactly what you want.

Starting at the top of the line, the Beltronics STi Driver and the Escort Redline are extremely similar. Both are built on the same high performance radar detection platform, and differ only slightly with features. The STi Driver has a male voice, while the Redline has a female voice. Our preference is overwhelmingly for the Redline's female voice. It is much clearer and more pleasant. On the display side, the STi Driver has Threat Display while the Redline has the Expert Meter. Both these modes allow you to see multiple radar signals on screen at once and the signal strength of each signal, the STi Driver can only display one threat from each band while the Redline can display 4 X-band, 2 K-band and 2 Ka-band signals all at once. The detection range on these devices is very similar and the STi Driver can be purchased a little cheaper, so if that's your only requirement, we'd choose the STi Driver.

The Beltronics GX65 and the Escort Passport 9500ix are very similar GPS radar detectors. Both of these devices allow you to lock out signals based on location and signal frequency, but the Passport will automatically lock out signals it detects but the GX65 will require manual signal lockout. Other than that, these models are basically the same, so if you don't mind locking out the alerts yourself, go ahead and choose the GX65, it's a great detector.

Overall, the product lines from Escort and Beltronics are excellent performers and are sure to serve you well. If you are looking for the most advanced, feature packed units, look to Escort, but if you are looking for a deal, and are willing to forgo a few features, look no further than the Beltronics line of products.

I came across something unlike in the automotive innovations area and this idea is continuing to grow worldwide. A car Rear-View Mirror With Built-In GPS? What a great thought! The Smart Mirror replaces your rear view mirror with an all-in-one mirror, GPS navigation and hands-free cellular phone. The mirror functions without the hassle of suction cups, mounting brackets and wires.

The Smart mirror offers good turn-by-turn directions that will talk to you and announce street names and turn-by-turn directions. There are built-in maps of the U S and North America. The GPS is touch screen enabled. This extremely cool driving gadget does come with a pretty high cost, but with all of the features right there in front of your face, it might be worth it.

The GPS software is by Navigon, so you've got a fairly well-respected navigation device makers know-how in the product. Like other Navigon units and most navigation devices, there is a touchscreen for easy input. It also features an SD card for maps and point-of-interest data.

Along with the feature of the GPS, comes the speed limits that this unit will make you aware of. This is handy since some of the speed limit signs can be concealed enough where you wont observe them.

The Smart Mirror also comes with Blue tooth hands-free cellular connectivity. This is good as more bills and legislation are requiring the use of hands-free devices while in the car. Some people use the blue tooth headsets which can become uncomfortable, so this is a handy feature for the automobile. There is an incoming caller ID display, on screen Call history log, and you adjust the call answering to either manual or automatic.

There are two camera inputs with the Smart Mirror. One is a backup camera unit that installs as a license plate frame. This is handy to really view what is in back of you and be able to display the Goa Escorts blind spot created by the high back-end. The other input can be used to help you park, or to allow for an additional viewing spot where children may hide. This is an optional feature of the system.

The Smart Mirror comes in kit form which includes, Mirror with attached GPS antenna, Windshield mounting bracket, Microphone, External GPS antenna (Not required for most installations), and Power Supply. The unit features a Rear view mirror, Full-function GPS navigation system, Blue tooth phone capability, Input for back-up camera (sold separately), Integrated loudspeaker, and Maps of 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and all Canadian provinces.

You can pre-pay for installation by a professional installer. This includes removing your former mirror, installing the SmartMirror and wiring it to your cars electrical system. The professional installer will try out the system and sync up with the GPS satellites and with your Blue Tooth device.