These former Apple engineers are building a whole bunch of cool car tech - here's their first product

While you're waiting to buy a new electric car that's basically a computer on wheels, a new startup is trying to make smart, well-designed products that will put a little bit of technology into your existing car. 

Pearl is the name of the startup, and RearVision is its first product. It's a backup camera and alert system that's easy to install. It's basically a license plate frame with two cameras.

Those cameras sync to your phone, either through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. So start the Pearl app on your phone, and you'll see what's behind you as you back up your car. 

Pearl's CEO, Bryson Gardner, was one of the key people behind several Apple products, including the iPod Nano, and his team at Pearl has over 50 former Apple employees. He tells me the rear-view camera is only the first of a set of computerized accessories for your car that the company is currently building. 

We took it for a spin this past weekend. So is it worth $500?