'Owl' by Ex-Apple, Microsoft Engineers Wants to Sell Security Cameras for Cars

Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat LinkedIn Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
'Owl' by Ex-Apple, Microsoft Engineers Wants to Sell Security Cameras for Cars

Photo Credit: owlcam.com

Highlights
  • Dashboard-mounted video camera can see inside and outside of car
  • It has sensors that let it capture video if the car suffers break-in
  • Camera to cost $299 plus $10 per month for Internet connection
Advertisement

A team of former Apple and Microsoft engineers have launched a company to sell security cameras for cars.

Owl on Thursday launched its dashboard-mounted video camera that can see the inside and outside of the car. The gadget has its own Internet connection and sensors that let it capture video if the car suffers a break-in or fender bender while unoccupied. Owl has raised $18 million (roughly Rs. 115 crores) in venture capital from Khosla Ventures, Menlo Ventures and others.

In an interview with Reuters, CEO Andy Hodge, part of the original team behind the Apple iPod, said that Internet-connected security cameras for the home, such as Alphabet's Nest Cam, which he also helped create the first version of, have become more common. But consumers rarely have car cameras that could help capture a contentious police stop or an accident, he said.

The camera will cost $299 (roughly Rs. 19,200) plus $10 (roughly Rs. 640) a month to cover the cost of its mobile Internet connection. Owl is the second car accessory company founded by Apple alumni. Pearl Automotive, which made a backup camera mounted as rear license plate holder, shut down in 2017 after only a year in business.

Owl engineered the camera for privacy. Users link the camera to their phone, and the only person who can view the video is the owner of the phone, unless the owner chooses to share it. Owl does not even collect an email address when the camera is used by a single person, though it does have to collect some identifying information to handle multiple phones sharing the same camera, such as a child and a parent.

Hodge said focusing on privacy from the start at Owl stems from an experience with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs while working on the original iPod music player, where the company printed "Don't Steal Music" on the debut gadget's box to make clear its stance on illegal music downloads.

"That was Steve recognizing that we were in an interesting space that could be good, or could be bad. We needed to say, 'Here's who we are,'" Hodge said.

© Thomson Reuters 2018

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Instagram Launches 'Type' Mode for Text-Only Stories

Advertisement

Follow Us
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »