Cobra XRS 9970G radar detector has a touchscreen, will not make radar detectors useful
By Nilay Patel 
posted January 7th 2010 7:32AM
posted January 7th 2010 7:32AM
posted January 7th 2010 7:32AM
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Radar detectors not relevant? I guess you don't drive very much...
95% of Engadget's staff live in NYC, so it's safe to assume they know dick about driving at highway speeds. I'm sure radar detectors would be pretty useless in the backseat of a taxi in manhattan traffic.
@(Unverified)
I live in NYC, I drive every day to work and back, the NYC Area local police and state troopers are ruthless on the highways...
I'm in NYC as well, but radar detectors are more of a benefit on large stretches of road--i.e., I-95. :) You're not going to get much usage out of it in the immediate metro area.
@Vdek Exactly. I have used Escort units (including an SR7) and now have a Valentine One (and G1, and Nexus One; I must dig the whole "One" naming thing) which I love. I have a 10 minute drive to work with 3 different jurisdictions trying to make their quotas. Yeah, they're relevant.
@Vdek Yeah I will be sticking with Escort on the detector thing... They have always been superior IMO. Passport X85 Blue all the way...
@Vdek I live in Chicago, I own a V1, and I grew up blasting around Wisconsin in a Mustang. Your assumptions are false, my man.
@Vdek I live in San Antonio, TX metropolis area. About 5 interstates and 4 city highways...I'd run the bricks off this thing.
@Vdek
I live in Chicago too, and have never had a radar detector here and see very few of them in anyone's car who isn't a teen. Last time I thought of needing one was when I was 16 or so, then I grew out of that phase and learned how to spot where a speed trap or a radar equipped car would be waiting. Drive smarter. So, all in all, I too think they are largely irrelevant these days.
@everyone in general - Radar detectors can only do so much good. Better for catching speed traps, which if you are observant you will see coming anyway. If a cop wants to bust you, all they have to do is wait to turn the radar on till your nice n close and there won't be a thing you can do about it.
@TwistedLIE exactly! I just got the 9500ix and its freaking amazing.
@Vdek
Radar detectors are absolutely useful and do exactly what they claim to do. Except in Kentucky, where you can drive 50 mph by a 35 mph speed trap and no one seems to care, as long as you're not weaving through traffic ... or a Mexican in a lifted Impala on 23"s. Never seen a Hyundai SUV pulled over ... see tricked out cars pulled over ALL the time. All that "bling" attracts attention, the kind you want and the kind you don't want.
@Nilay Patel
If that's the case, why don't you explain your opinions as to why radar detectors are ineffective and irrelevant?
@Brokinarrow
Most cops are lazy (keyword: most). They don't want to expend the effort it takes to "pounce" on people like that. And as long as you're not the only car (or the only car speeding) for miles around you, radar detectors are awesome. Won't help with VASCAR, though.
@Vdek
I live in NYC. I've been driving for ... 8 years now. I've yet to get a speeding ticket. I speed most of the time, whether in local streets or "highways."
Also, everyone is now aware that there are no highways in NYC.
it looks like a futuristic gun
i like it
Anddddd then you get a V1.
@bigmak
yup I got myself a Valentine 1 and it's saved my butt plenty of times. idk where they're getting the radar detectors are useless thing from.
@bigmak - V1 and the Trapster App FTW...
http://www.valentine1.com/
http://appstore.appadvice.com/linkappbase/290629277
Now if they would only combine the two ;^/... Mike?
@Frankenstein Black - Non app store link...
http://www.trapster.com/
Just because cobra radar detectors suck doesn't mean they all do. I've had both a Passport Escort 8500 X50 and a Valentine 1, both of which operate admirably. Since buying them 5 years ago, I have not been stopped a single time (though there have been a couple laser scares).
'eesh, even it looks like it's yawning--and short of the infrequent speed-trap, it's all lasers on the highways around here
WOW! That's FANTASTIC!!!
No, not really... I'll be sticking with my V1.
These gadgets are illegal in my country. They should have made it look like radio at least.
And i disagree that it is useless. It could save you a lot of bribes and lost time.
@DaveBG
Bribing is not really an option in the US as much as it is in other countries for some reason..
@Brownsound279 We still bribe here its in the form a set payment to the local, state and federal gov.
@southern78
escort has had a radar detector that gets custom mounted to ur dashboard for years now...detectors are outside the car under/around ur grill and the displys are inside
Ditto on the Valentine 1... once you've used one you'll never drive without it. Saved my arse on more than one occasion.
And they can be very useful in NYC, just depends what time of day your driving and if your back can take a high speed beating from the terrible roads here.
While I'm sure, knowing Cobra's rep, it works...
1) That is some of the ugliest industrial design I've ever seen for just the external case. It's like a wannabe sinister aesthetic cribbed from the Galactic Empire's Super Star Destroyer's but... in an epic bad "FAIL" kind of way. Nasty.
2) A 1.5" touch screen... at this point when I read that, my general reaction was "Ummm, okay... while touchscreen's rock, isn't this one of those applications where you have to question it's usefulness vs. being more of a gimmick?" Look at your digits people, are they not closer to 1" in size than they are the size of the tip of a stylus? How exactly are you going to make a usable icon-based UI on a 1.5" screen that's touchable? My guess is... pressing the screen brings you to the menu, in which it's probably a list of options and a rather limited vertical list at that. I can't see any other way that this thing could be usable (or at least usable in a vain that's not at least partially frustrating) much less desirable otherwise. Much as I do like touchscreen's, adding one to everything just because Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Palm have made them "popular" or "in" seems like... too much "Mee tooo!" vs. "Hey, I thought this out, and buttons and knobs FTW!" My point basically is... when a touchscreen is appropriate, great, go for it... but in a tiny application like this, I think buttons and knobs = more desirable. That's just from my thought process of "how is this thing going to work?" Everyone's mileage may vary in that regard, obviously.
3) ...and this is where the final epic fail comes in. Sinister wannabe external design, Teletubbie derived color scheme and icons on the UI? There's nothing cohesive about this design/look. It's like a Fisher Price UI in drag, dressed up as an Alien or The Predator or a band member from GWAR. Bizarro...
So, while I don't doubt that knowing Cobra's reputation that it probably does work and work well... it still screams of "Why?" on way too many levels. Why bother with a touch screen in an application where it's probably least usable/effective? Why go for this over the top design that's chunky, unintuitive, and bizarre with a sinister appeal and give it a UI and UI icons that are aesthetically (vibrant, happy, cheery) straight out of Mambo CMS 1.0?
@SPONGEZILLA
lol this guy is pissed about it
@JfVigor
No, I'm not pissed at all. I'm just keeping it real. LoL
@SPONGEZILLA Cobra's reputation? You mean for making utter crap? They are referred to as Crapra in the radar detector community, and for good reason. Escort, Bell, or V1 is the only way to go.
@SPONGEZILLA
There's a radar detector community? Really? Do you meet at donut shops and talk about beating the cops there or something?
@Duke
Yeah, we all meet up there to hang out and laugh at you for not being invited. :)
@jlately
Once again, I didn't want to mock the Cobra fans for their preference (obviously they've stayed in business this long because *someone* is buying their goods) even if... while I said it probably works (i.e. not questioning it's reliability), I didn't ever remotely imply that it works well, excels, etc. Personally, I don't own any of the above despite awareness that V1, Escort, and Bell are probably the 3 best (I was a longtime subscriber to Car & Driver where they often ranked them annually in about that order). If someone's foolish enough to buy one this ugly, that was thought out as poorly as this one, that's their prerogative and they're entitled to geek out over the tiny, useless touchscreen and hideous product design all they want to.
I don't regularly break 5-10 over and therefore have no paranoia or need for one (I just enjoy a good discussion on product design and am fascinated by technology in general). If I get a ticket, I get a ticket. The odds of doing so where I'm from (Illinois) are generally slim though considering there's usually someone streaming by at close to warp speed on the interstates by me. They could use these far more than me.
I believe the proper term is Fuzz Buster.
I know this won't sit will with most, but how about not speeding in the first place? Here in NJ the limit is 65, I do about 70 and never get pulled over.
Dude, in NJ you can do 80 and not get pulled over - people drive like they are on crack in this state. Doing 70 is what we in the great Garden State call going SLOW. That's fine though, just stay in the right lane and don't be like those PA drivers who insist on doing 70 in the middle and left lanes. Grrrrrrrr PA drivers piss me off!
@SmoothC911 my RD has saved me many times when I was speeding without realizing it. It's not hard to be going faster than you are expecting when you are paying more attention to the traffic around you than the speed limit.
@SmoothC911
Of course it doesn't sit well with most folks you giant wuss, the speed limits are artificial limits set for tax collection purposes... If you want to do only 70, then stay in the rightmost lane! Otherwise MOVE!
@SmoothC911 Dude no offense to you personally but I get stuck behind people like you everyday in our great Garden State. Can you please drive in the middle or rightmost lane 'cause at 70 you won't need to over-take anyone on these roads.
@SmoothC911
OK so you said "dont speed in the first place" and then stated that you regularly drive 5 over the limit?
I stick to ~8 over the limit, but dont claim to be "not speeding"...
wow, when I said I knew my comment wouldn't be popular, I didn't know I'd be taking all this heat!
To everyone who is asking me to stay to the right lane--don't worry, that's exactly what I do. If I didn't the angry speeders (who I mean go regularly 10-20 mph over the limit) would ram into me! I'm not hating; actually I just find it more relaxing to go 70.
@ Vdek -- LOL you spout off on what a man you are because your right foot makes a little pedal drop. Don't worry; I'll take care of your wife/girlfriend's wuss just fine
@ Phen -- point taken; I suppose I should have said to 'not exceed the limit by more than 10mph' or so. In my experience I've never received a ticket when limiting it to 75mph or less. I guess living in NJ makes me think driving 5mph over the limit is not speeding--just look how angry people got in the above replies!
The first time I plugged my radar detector in, it saved me. I was doing 70ish on straight foggy road with a 50mph limit. It went off almost immediately. I slowed down and in about a 1/4 mile I saw a barely visible cop hiding behind a small bush. He would have easily had me. But around town, its not very useful. If you are going to speed in CA, they are still relevant.
Radar detectors not useful? Wow. I lost some respect. They are hugely important in my commute. I have a laser-hammer built in, and I'm able to get through 2 speed traps everyday without problem.
Didn't those things stop working 30 years ago?
Well, maybe not in countries where the police force still uses radar guns made out of paper clips and strings...
I love cars with radar detectors, just give them a little morse code at 24 GHz as they pass you on the highway, and they respond back with a single morse code letter at 400 THz. It's always fun to see what letter they reply with.
@hamham That is until you hit some one with a properly shielded detector like me...
I live in NY (suburban NY) and I've had just about every radar detector. V1 is great and all for radar, but the fact is, 98% of the police forces in NY are using laser now. Radar detection is useless and even thought the V1 detected laser, it was wayyyy too late for me to do anything about it. Laser shifting is the only way to beat laser equipped police forces.
@cecplex
yea the funny things about LIDAR or laser radar is that at least here in Illinois it is not admissable in court as evidence because it has not been proven to be as accurate as their xray/ka radar guns..Go fig?
its always great to see a cops face when my lawyer pulls that one out.
half the time the cops dont calibrate their guns so there is another techincality to get out of a ticket