Papago GoSafe 272 impressions?

[budster]

I'm looking into getting a Papago GoSafe 272 and possibly more for other cars if I like it. It seems this is the most compact Papago model, although I have not seen it in person. But a few things concern me:

- It uses a Lithium battery instead of a capacitor. I plan to leave my dashcam in the car so I'm concerned that hot weather will cause the battery to die and maybe damage the dashcam. Does Papago plan to release a capacitor-based dashcam?

- There's a lot of white lettering in the front of the dashcam and the silver ring around the lens would seem to make the dashcam stand out when viewed from the outside. Since I plan to leave the dashcam in the car, I'd want the dashcam to be as unnoticeable as possible so someone doesn't try to break in and steal it. I can't find a picture of how the dashcam looks from the outside when mounted except for http://www.runaroundtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/PapagoDSC01860.jpg which seems fairly noticeable. For those that have this dashcam, is this a legitimate problem?

- Is there any way to hardwire the dashcam in my car instead of using the 12V DC power cord? Does Papago sell a hardwire kit? The 12V outlet in my car remains on even when my car is off. So I think if I use this, the dashcam would always remain on unless it's unplugged.

- Is there any CPL filter available for the lens?

- From the specs (http://us.papagoinc.com/products/gosafe-272/#specs), it says the chip used is "2014 New Altek wafers". I have no idea what kind of chip this is. Is this considered a decent one? How does this compare to the Novatek NT96650 in a G1W/G1W-C dashcam or a Ambarelle A7LA50 in a Mini 0805/0806 dashcam?

- The specs says the image sensor is "2M 1/3 CMOS Sensor". Are there any more details exactly kind of sensor is used? How does it compare to the Aptima AR0330 sensor in a G1W/G1W-C or OV4689 in a Mini 0805/0806 dashcam?

- This Papago GoSafe 272 model goes for around $130 in the USA. But G1W/G1W-C dashcams that I see recommended as a good value are around $50. Feature wise, I don't see much difference between the two. Is the Papago really worth paying 2.5x more?

I have not seen any in-depth reviews of the Papago GoSafe 272. The videos I see are more about unboxing or showing some daytime scenes, which I think most dashcams can handle fine. I don't see any night time videos, which I think can really distinguish which are the better dashcams.

 

[PAPAGO!]

Hello. Thanks for your interest. I need some help from our engineering team to answer some of these questions. I will also compile some images and video for you but just need some time. There was one other review that you might find useful meanwhile: http://benchmarkreviews.com/23144/papago-gosafe-272-dashcam-gs272-us-review/
I will get back to you.

 

[budster]

I found that Papago now offers a hardwire kit (http://us.papagoinc.com/2015/03/). Looks like it's currently only available at amazon.com for $30 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00QHGG6VS). Seems kind of pricey. Hardwire kits I see for other dashcams like the Mini only go for $10-$15.

 

[PAPAGO!]

 

[budster]

Hello. Thanks for your interest. I need some help from our engineering team to answer some of these questions. I will also compile some images and video for you but just need some time. There was one other review that you might find useful meanwhile: http://benchmarkreviews.com/23144/papago-gosafe-272-dashcam-gs272-us-review/
I will get back to you.

Any update on getting more information?

I also took a look at the support section for the 272 dashcam at http://us.papagoinc.com/products/gosafe-272/#support. There are no instructions for how to upgrade the firmware and these aren't mentioned in the user guide. Also, the GS272_US_v0101 firmware listed doesn't mention anything about what's fixed or changed in the firmware. The zip file doesn't have any information either.

Browsing thru the support section for other Papago dashcams on the site, I see the same problems. This looks really unprofessional. I don't know how you expect users to figure this out themselves. Can you please get the instructions and information updated?

 

[PAPAGO!]

Any update on getting more information?

I also took a look at the support section for the 272 dashcam at http://us.papagoinc.com/products/gosafe-272/#support. There are no instructions for how to upgrade the firmware and these aren't mentioned in the user guide. Also, the GS272_US_v0101 firmware listed doesn't mention anything about what's fixed or changed in the firmware. The zip file doesn't have any information either.

Browsing thru the support section for other Papago dashcams on the site, I see the same problems. This looks really unprofessional. I don't know how you expect users to figure this out themselves. Can you please get the instructions and information updated?

Hello Sir,
Thank you for noting this. We are actually just adding a much more detailed "How-To" section under our Support tab. We recently revamped our entire website and we have been working on fine tuning it. I have already tried adding a better step-by-step to the P-series as well as the GoSafe 200 page. We recently had many new firmware upgrades which means that the current firmware files that are on our site at this time should already be the versions installed in each dashcam that our retailers sell. If our customer were to look at their version compared to what's available on our site they should be identical.

Now with the new upgrades for a variety of our dashcams we understand it is imperative to give detailed descriptions on how to install the new firmware. I hope this clarifies our position.

I am still waiting on support for your previous questions so please bear with us.

Kind Regards,

PAPAGO!

 

[budster]

Hello Sir,
Thank you for noting this. We are actually just adding a much more detailed "How-To" section under our Support tab. We recently revamped our entire website and we have been working on fine tuning it. I have already tried adding a better step-by-step to the P-series as well as the GoSafe 200 page. We recently had many new firmware upgrades which means that the current firmware files that are on our site at this time should already be the versions installed in each dashcam that our retailers sell. If our customer were to look at their version compared to what's available on our site they should be identical.

Now with the new upgrades for a variety of our dashcams we understand it is imperative to give detailed descriptions on how to install the new firmware. I hope this clarifies our position.

I am still waiting on support for your previous questions so please bear with us.

Kind Regards,

PAPAGO!

A friend of mine recently got the Papago 272. I hope I can borrow it for a few days to try out myself. When I checked the firmware on his dashcam though, it says GS272_US_v0100. The firmware available on the web site for the 272 model is GS272_US_v0101. So that's why I raised the question about what is different in this new firmware as it's not identical. Can you list what is the improvement in the new firmware for this and how to install it. Is it similar to the instructions on the GoSafe 200 support page to unzip the .bin files to the microSD card (there are 3 .bin files in the zip: Dump4M.bin, GS272_US.bin, TBIB_S10P.bin) ?

By the way, firmware upgrade instructions or a link to them should also be mentioned in the user guide. But the word "firmware" is not mentioned in the guide at all.

 

[PAPAGO!]

A friend of mine recently got the Papago 272. I hope I can borrow it for a few days to try out myself. When I checked the firmware on his dashcam though, it says GS272_US_v0100. The firmware available on the web site for the 272 model is GS272_US_v0101. So that's why I raised the question about what is different in this new firmware as it's not identical. Can you list what is the improvement in the new firmware for this and how to install it. Is it similar to the instructions on the GoSafe 200 support page to unzip the .bin files to the microSD card (there are 3 .bin files in the zip: Dump4M.bin, GS272_US.bin, TBIB_S10P.bin) ?

By the way, firmware upgrade instructions or a link to them should also be mentioned in the user guide. But the word "firmware" is not mentioned in the guide at all.

Hello,

I was able to get some more information for you. I hope this offers a bit more insight.

- It uses a Lithium battery instead of a capacitor. I plan to leave my dashcam in the car so I'm concerned that hot weather will cause the battery to die and maybe damage the dashcam. Does Papago plan to release a capacitor-based dashcam?

<Vic> The battery of GS272-US is 420mAh Li-Polymer battery, please check the detail as below.

Lithium-polymer batteries can be dated back to the 1970’s. Their first design included a dry solid polymer electrolyte that resembled a plastic film. Therefore, this type of battery can result in credit card thin designs while still holding relatively good battery life. In addition, lithium-polymer batteries are very lightweight and have improved safety. However, these batteries will cost more to manufacture and have a worse energy density than lithium-ion batteries.

Type

Secondary

Chemical Reaction

Varies, depending on electrolyte.

Operating Temperature

Improved performance at low and high temperatures.

Recommended for

Cellular telephones, mobile computing devices.

Initial Voltage

3.6 & 7.2

Capacity

Varies depending on the battery; superior to standard lithium-ion.

Discharge Rate

Flat

Recharge Life

300 – 400 cycles

Charging Temperature

32º F to 140º F (0º C to 60º C)

Storage Life

Loses less than 0.1% per month.

Storage Temperature

-4º F to 140º F ( -20º C to 60º C)

Disposal

• Can be recycled by dropping them off at any of our over 7,200 stores nationwide.
• Should be recycled through your local RadioShack store.

Other Notes

• Typically designed to be recharged in the device rather than in an external charger.
• Lighter than nickel-based secondary batteries with (Ni-Cd and NiMH).
• Can be made in a variety of shapes.

- There's a lot of white lettering in the front of the dashcam and the silver ring around the lens would seem to make the dashcam stand out when viewed from the outside. Since I plan to leave the dashcam in the car, I'd want the dashcam to be as unnoticeable as possible so someone doesn't try to break in and steal it. I can't find a picture of how the dashcam looks from the outside when mounted except for http://www.runaroundtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/PapagoDSC01860.jpg which seems fairly noticeable. For those that have this dashcam, is this a legitimate problem?

<Vic>No response.



- Is there any way to hardwire the dashcam in my car instead of using the 12V DC power cord? Does Papago sell a hardwire kit? The 12V outlet in my car remains on even when my car is off. So I think if I use this, the dashcam would always remain on unless it's unplugged.

<Vic> Papago has provided the hard wire cable which is UDC-US,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00QHGG6VS
- Is there any CPL filter available for the lens?

<Vic> No



- From the specs (http://us.papagoinc.com/products/gosafe-272/#specs), it says the chip used is "2014 New Altek wafers". I have no idea what kind of chip this is. Is this considered a decent one? How does this compare to the Novatek NT96650 in a G1W/G1W-C dashcam or a Ambarelle A7LA50 in a Mini 0805/0806 dashcam?

<Vic> The main chip of GS272-US is Altek Sunny 10+ SA200.

Altek's Sunny system-on-a-chip (SoC) line for digital cameras, incorporating the latest world-class image processing technologies, brings your special moments to life in every picture-perfect pixel. The Sunny line features face detection and tracking, bright capture / noise filtration, high dynamic range and lens compensation, and digital shake reduction functions. In the field of digital cameras, it is the IC chip that currently offers the best cost/performance ratio. The line's Sunny7c has already sold over 20 million units and been incorporated into numerous brand name digital cameras. The Sunny line currently holds more than 10% of global market digital camera chip sales and has fueled Altek's growth into the world's 5th largest supplier of digital camera SoCs.

Building on the success of Sunny7, Sunny8 was launched with a built-in image engine that gives consumer-grade camera users point-and-shoot speeds that approximate those achieved by professional digital models. An entirely new chip structure will be introduced in the future in order to address market demand for an increasingly large range of product applications, including higher image resolutions and support of AV data compression standards.


- The specs says the image sensor is "2M 1/3 CMOS Sensor". Are there any more details exactly kind of sensor is used? How does it compare to the Aptima AR0330 sensor in a G1W/G1W-C or OV4689 in a Mini 0805/0806 dashcam?

<Vic> The GS272-US use the OV2710 (1/2.7”) 2MP image sensor.

 

[budster]

Hello,

I was able to get some more information for you. I hope this offers a bit more insight.

Thanks for the response. It was useful to find out the image sensor and chip being used to compare against other dashcams.

Regarding my capacitor question, that wasn't really answered. I understand the 272 model (and probably all current Papago models) use a lithium battery. My question was whether Papago is looking into using a capacitor instead of a battery in future dashcams. This seems to be the trend now in better dashcams to use a capacitor instead of a battery. There's lots of advantages in doing so in terms of reliability. Only disadvantage is that the dashcam can't be used without external power but this shouldn't be a big deal as most people wouldn't use a dashcam without power. Anyways, just a suggestion in case it hasn't been considered yet.

Would you also be able to address my firmware questions (what are the changes in the latest GS272_US_v0101 firmware and how to install it)?

 

[PAPAGO!]

Thanks for the response. It was useful to find out the image sensor and chip being used to compare against other dashcams.

Regarding my capacitor question, that wasn't really answered. I understand the 272 model (and probably all current Papago models) use a lithium battery. My question was whether Papago is looking into using a capacitor instead of a battery in future dashcams. This seems to be the trend now in better dashcams to use a capacitor instead of a battery. There's lots of advantages in doing so in terms of reliability. Only disadvantage is that the dashcam can't be used without external power but this shouldn't be a big deal as most people wouldn't use a dashcam without power. Anyways, just a suggestion in case it hasn't been considered yet.

Would you also be able to address my firmware questions (what are the changes in the latest GS272_US_v0101 firmware and how to install it)?

Hello. I am not sure what they have planned for the Capacitor issue.

I am working on fixing the sites GoSafe 272 firmware instructions and to put up the latest firmware that we just received last week from our parent company. As soon as I get it up I will let you know. I should have it up in a few hours after I am finished testing it out.

 

[PAPAGO!]

Hello. I am not sure what they have planned for the Capacitor issue.

I am working on fixing the sites GoSafe 272 firmware instructions and to put up the latest firmware that we just received last week from our parent company. As soon as I get it up I will let you know. I should have it up in a few hours after I am finished testing it out.

Okay it is up and there is an instruction list. Please let me know if there is something you feel should be added so that I can rewrite. Have an awesome weekend!!

 

[jokiin]

Hello. I am not sure what they have planned for the Capacitor issue.

you have capacitor models coming

 

[PAPAGO!]

Hello. You are right. We are going to get the GoSafe 118 which will record in 720p at 30fps or VGA. It should be arriving by the end of April. We already have it up on our website.

 

[jokiin]

Hello. You are right. We are going to get the GoSafe 118 which will record in 720p at 30fps or VGA. It should be arriving by the end of April. We already have it up on our website.

you have a better 1080p model coming also

 

[PAPAGO!]

you have a better 1080p model coming also

I appreciate that you are so informed. I talked with my management and the product line in Asia may differ from what we have decided to bring to the US but now that there is a new forum for upcoming models I can utilize that to release the names and partial specs of upcoming models we are going to offer here in the US.

 

[jokiin]

what you will offer in USA I don't know but Papago do have other models coming that perform quite well and would probably find a good market there

 

[russ331]

...the product line in Asia may differ from what we have decided to bring to the US...

If you have plans for the European market, please note that we tend to prefer discreet DashCams.

The side of the camera that faces the windscreen should be matt black. No chrome lens bezel, no white text, or any other colour text or logos. No bling. Just plain matt black.

This way, the camera is less likely to be seen by opportunistic thieves, & we have an improved prospect of returning to our parked car to find that the camera hasn't been stolen.

 

[budster]

Okay it is up and there is an instruction list. Please let me know if there is something you feel should be added so that I can rewrite. Have an awesome weekend!!

Thanks for the instructions. Did you have any details of what is new in the GS272_US_V0101_20150203 firmware vs GS272_US_v0100?

 

[budster]

If you have plans for the European market, please note that we tend to prefer discreet DashCams.

The side of the camera that faces the windscreen should be matt black. No chrome lens bezel, no white text, or any other colour text or logos. No bling. Just plain matt black.

This way, the camera is less likely to be seen by opportunistic thieves, & we have an improved prospect of returning to our parked car to find that the camera hasn't been stolen.

I see in the description for the G0Safe 118 (http://us.papagoinc.com/products/gosafe-118/), they have listed "COMPACT AND DISCREET" as one of the features. Looks like they are learning and getting more familiar with what people want in the dashcam market, although it seems there is still a white Papago logo on the front side. Not sure how visible it will be until a real picture comes out.

 

[budster]

Hello. You are right. We are going to get the GoSafe 118 which will record in 720p at 30fps or VGA. It should be arriving by the end of April. We already have it up on our website.

Are you saying that the 118 model will use a capacitor instead of battery?

By the way, the GoSafe model numbers seem a bit odd. Not sure if there is a pattern, but numbers like 118 and 272 seem like they were picked at random. I assume that higher model numbers are considered better in the same series. But I'm a little confused by how the products are grouped by series (1xx, 2xx, 3xx, 5xx). It looks like products in the 1xx series have a similar compact form factor. But then I would have expected the 200 and 330 models to also be in the same series as they look similar. And then the 272 and 520 models have similar form factor, but they are in a different series. Maybe the products in the same series have similar features. I'm new to Papago dashcams and trying to learn more about them, but the model numbers are a bit confusing to me.