Android: CaroO dashcam app (Accident can trigger auto upload to youtube and texts emergency contact)

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I'm not a fan of relying on a smart phone for long term dashcam use, but I thought this feature review post on CarOo sounded pretty cool and wanted to share:

"bought CarOo dashcam for my Android phone, and set up a Tasker profile that launches my dashcam app when my bluetooth connects to my phone. Hop in, plug in the phone, set it in the car mount and off I go. Plus this has a crash detection that uploads the video to YouTube and texts a number if you get into an accident."
Source:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Dashcam/co...thing_stopping_me_from_investing_in_a/csnuffs

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pokevian.prime&hl=en
http://apkmaniafull.com/2015/01/13/caroo-pro-dashcam-obd-v2-2-2-build-22202-apk/

Latest Beta News:
https://www.facebook.com/CarooProDrivingRecorder

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http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/dash-cam-android-comparison/

CaroO – Free , CaroO Pro – $4.50
CaroO Free is a well-equipped free dash cam app, offering recording in 640×480 pixel and 720×480 pixel resolution, ability to control focus and exposure, trip data, and an emergency call and SMS button. The emergency call and SMS button can be set to whatever number you prefer. You can also choose to save to the phone’s internal memory or to an external SD card. That may be a good idea in the event of a crash where the phone becomes damaged.





It is a bit easier to use than the other two apps as it can be set to start recording when you start moving and to stop recording when you stop the car. You can also set it to start recording as soon as you connect your phone to the charger. Like AutoGuard, if you have CaroO set to do this, it will start recording if you just plug it in to a wall charger. Something to be aware of.

CaroO-Screenshot.jpg


For even more flexibility, you can configure two quick-start buttons to run whatever program you want when you touch them. Perhaps your phone’s GPS program or Google Maps would be a good choice. You can even set an over speed warning to pop-up should you exceed the maximum speed that you set for yourself.

CaroO-OBDII-Screen.jpg


Obviously CaroO has a lot going on, and a lot going for it, so give it a shot. If you do, you may well consider upgrading to CaroO Pro for its amazing car monitoring capabilities. If you’re vehicle is OBDII compliant and your phone supports Bluetooth, you can get a Bluetooth OBDII reader, plug it in to your car and monitor all sorts of things about how your car is running. You can track battery voltage, running temperature, fuel economy, fuel consumption, and any malfunctions that might occur. All that information gets stored in the CaroO Pro application so you can review it later, or share it with your mechanic.

If you’re not sure what OBDII is, the OBD stands for On Board Diagnostics and theII or 2 stands for the second version of the standard. All cars made since 1996 are OBDII compliant, but may have slight variations. If you’d like to know what variation your car has, this page on OBDII Protocols for different car makes will help.

I didn’t have a Bluetooth OBDII reader to test the app with, but after testing it in so many other ways, I’m going to get one just for this. They can be had for $10 to $20 on Amazon.

OBDII-Bluetooth-Reader.jpg


My concerns about the CaroO app are pretty insignificant. There are several spelling mistakes in labels and instructions, but that’s not a big deal. The user interface works just fine, however I find some of the buttons on the small side for my stubby fingers. Very minor issues indeed, and updates are frequent so expect those complaints to be addressed.

Recommendation: Best. CaroO Pro does more than most dedicated dash cams and for a fraction of the price, so this would be a great choice for the person who wants to know what happens around, and in, their car. All the features of the other dash cam apps, and a vibrant online community on Facebook make it a no-brainer. You get all-around protection in the form of the video evidence, the emergency call button, and the information you need to protect your car’s health.
 
I'm not a fan of relying on a smart phone for long term dashcam use, but I thought this feature review post on CarOo sounded pretty cool and wanted to share:
...

Thanks for sharing. It is indeed interesting, even though I only see this as a makeshift solution.
One needs a phone with a powerful, most likely quad-CPU, especially if one wants to use it for GPS functionality (and a map navigator).
And the night-time video quality will be sub-par on most phones (There are very few, if any, phones with good low-light camera performance).

As with many Android apps, my concern is about permissions:
  • find accounts on the device
  • use accounts on the device
  • read your contacts
  • read phone status and identity
  • run at startup
Too many apps play fast and loose with the permissions, requesting what is not really needed.
I am sure that "read your contacts" is to be able to choose the emergency contact number, but I'd rather set that manually then risk the chance that my entire contacts database is transmitted to unknown hands.
I am not certain, which accounts it uses... It is not obvious from the description that its functionality really needs any accounts...
"read phone status and identity", - that's typically not needed on Android 4+, but only because they support 2.2+. Many app authors either stopped supporting <4.0, or split their app into two versions, some - just for that reason.

Now, "run at startup". - I hate when apps do that. I don't drive all the time, and don't need it running at startup. Too many apps want to clog up my phone at startup without much of a real need.

I am sure many (most?) people never even look at this permissions, but then we have botnets and stolen identities.

While this is not the worst case, it affects my decision to install (or not) on my phone.
 
The above link is unavailable or it says crash??

That website appears to be taken over/infected now. It opens various windows with the links to questionable ads and porno sites.
Quite likely the apps also could be contaminated now.
Clearly, the admins of that website don't care about security. (That appears to be consistent with my concerns about security expressed above.)

Virustotal.com shows one positive result that the website is likely to have malware:
https://www.virustotal.com/en/url/8...523228930fb4817c361a898f/analysis/1456786681/
 
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