Rand McNally announced the launch of the DashCam 500, a dashboard camera and companion app. According to the company, the camera delivers high-quality video and still photos that make it simple to save, organize and share the images. The app is available as a free download for iOS and Android smartphones.

“We’ve seen strong demand for dash cameras the past few years,” said Stephen Fletcher, chief executive officer of Rand McNally. “This new device includes a host of proprietary features such as VideoKeeper and MapShots, which give existing dash cam users something new and better to use, as well as provides those who haven’t used such a product with a user-friendly model to begin.”

According to the company, features of the DashCam 500 include:

• A Flashback button, which not only starts saving video but provides up to several minutes of preceding video; with this feature, drivers won’t have to worry that they’ve missed something;
• “G” sensor accident protection that automatically senses and then saves video footage when there’s an impact to the vehicle; the footage is saved with a time and date stamp – even when parked;
• A Smartphone app for both iOS and Android phones; with the app, users can view live videos from the camera, manage a gallery of still photos and video, change the camera settings, and—with the tap of a button—download and share captures to email, social media platforms, and texts;
• The Gallery on both the camera and app displays all of the videos and photos that have been recorded and saved. On these screens, users may view thumbnails of videos and photos, play back the videos, and delete them;
• Active VideoKeeper, which ensures that saved videos are never overwritten and are easily saved to the Gallery and/or downloaded to the app;
• MapShots, which uses the built-in GPS to show where a video was captured on a map when viewed on the app;
• Four dynamic touch-sensitive buttons along the bottom of the screen that allow you to navigate and control the functionality on the dash cam.