What a useful toy the Global Positioning System (GPS) is! I didn’t think I would use it much because most of the time, I think I know where I’m going (Thanks to Google maps :). Well guess what, I really use it a lot. I got the Garmin Nüvi GPS last year (merci R) and my drive home has never been the same. lol – Well, it’s the same most of the time, but when I need to find an alternate route, the GPS comes in quite handy. It has re-directed me through roads I never knew existed, and this often. I find it reassuring and safer to have a GPS in my vehicle. If you’re an Ottawa Valley Country girl, don’t drive without one!
My GPS came with pre-loaded North American street maps and millions of points of interest (POI) such as hotels, restaurants, fuel stations, ATMs, hospitals, and more. (I need to load updated maps – will let you know how that goes). I’m looking into adding a client’s restaurant as a GPS POI. (will also let you know how that goes :)
The touch screen makes it easy to enter a destination, Nüvi displays 2D or 3D color maps and gives turn-by-turn voice directions. It also announces the name of exits and streets. I’ve gotten quite used to the female voice telling me where to go! Most of the time, it says … re-calculating, re-calculating, … – the term that it uses when I didn’t follow her instructions (ha!). She always gets me home using the “shortest route” (that being what I set in my preferences).
The other setting that I’ve set is “less traffic” (as an alternate to my usual routes). My husband borrowed my GPS for a trip to Quebec city. He didn’t know about the “shortest route & less traffic” settings that I had set. He thought my GPS was pretty “screwed up” cause it kept telling him to exit and follow weird roads. I lmao! Hubby borrowed my GPS because someone smashed his car window (with a huge rock) and stole his GPS. Arrgg… It’s best to always keep your GPS hidden when your car is parked in public space. :)
GPS are now quite affordable. They range in price from approximately $150 for a base model to $500 for a GPS with a lot of features such as Bluetooth, Traffic Alerts, and oh yes, the “Where Am I” feature! … lol
Cheers!
Filed under: Today's Top Tech Toy
