If you’ve been in the market for a car, truck, or SUV recently, then I’m sure you’ve seen the vast number of vehicles sporting shiny new auto navigation systems as part of this or that package upgrade.
These systems are delightfully handy when you find yourself stuck in traffic that is moving slower than the snail that just passed by or that roads are closing due to nasty weather or traffic pile ups. The truth of the matter is that they can come in equally handy when faced with every day driving if you allow them to be.
Many people unfortunately purchase these systems because they seem like a good idea at the time and then never really get their money’s worth. Very few investments in technology are worthy if you aren’t going to at least get your money’s worth.
Auto navigation systems are great when you find yourself lost in the woods so to speak, but they can help you find alternate routes when traffic is busy on your traditional drive to the grocery store. They can help you avoid roads that have been closed for maintenance, or even find a quick way around work that is being performed along your route.
These devices can also help you find shorter routes to events and such than you may have been aware existed before and they aren’t commanding nearly the price they brought in a mere two years ago. In other words, this convenience is becoming much more affordable.
One thing you must keep in mind when considering a new car or a new auto navigation system for an existing car is how much you think you will actually use your system.
Even if you save it for emergency use alone, it is quite possible that in an emergency this nifty device will be worth ten times what you originally paid for it because it could save jobs, time, or even lives (particularly if you are lost and searching for a hospital).
For me, it is hard to put a price tag on the comfort that owning a device such as this would bring but it is definitely worth the $500-$1,000 that is currently being charged. Keep in mind that when these systems first hit the market $1,000 was on the ultra low end.
If you never use this system and only get it because it looks cool, then you definitely are not getting your money’s worth. Technology is only good when it’s useful to someone. Sitting there unused it is assisting no one and is essentially a waste of money. On the other end of the spectrum however, you have people like me.
By ‘like me’ I mean those of us who could get helplessly lost and flustered finding our way out of the driveway on dark and moonless nights. I use my auto navigation system like an extra pair of eyes.
My system is not the top of the line system that advertises an uncanny ability to help you parallel park your car, but it is nice enough to help me figure out where I am and how to get where I’m going from there. For me, that is exactly enough to be worth every penny.
Beyond that, my navigation system doesn’t require tricky folds or my pulling off onto the shoulder in order to read. It talks to me (without losing it’s temper) and tells me where to go, I love that about my system. I don’t know about the rest of you, but map reading is not something I’ve ever been gifted at.
That fact may have a little to do with the fact that it was not something I was ever terribly interested in. Couple that with my poor attention to landmarks and I was a driving disaster. Literally, I got lost at least once, if not twice a week before making the move into the modern world of navigation.
I have absolutely no regrets and while I can’t promise that you will love your auto navigation system as much as I love mine (all systems are not created equal), I can pretty much bet that your driving, particularly on long road trips, will go much more smoothly than without one.
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Cindy Sage, environmental consultant, talks about The BioInitiative Report: A Rationale for a Biologically-based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF), which she editied with a team of international scientists.
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For more information go to http://tiger.tv/more_info/?853. Motorola designed ROKR E8 to deliver an uncompromised consumer experience for music or talk.
Using breakthrough ModeShift technology from Motorola, the quad-band GPRS/EDGE device presents users with only the controls they need, at the time they need them, instantly transforming from music player to phone to imaging device with the touch of a button.
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Pros and Cons of Auto Navigation Systems and GPS Devices
Auto navigation systems and GPS devices are everywhere you turn in this day and age. You can find them in your car, boat, plane, even in your purse (if you have a PDA or cell phone with GPS capabilities combined with the right software and/or subscriptions).
If that isn’t enough for you, you also have the option and capability of turning your laptop computer into a GPS device if that is your desire. The thing that most people forget to check out or ask about when looking at all the nifty features of unit A over unit B is how easy is the unit you are considering to use?
Handheld GPS and auto navigation systems offer sensible solutions to common travel related problems. They will not have all the answers all the time but are a great help most of the time. There are many styles and types of GPS and auto navigation systems that are available in today’s market. Some people may not fully understand all of the neat tricks you can do with your GPS system.
Here are a few things you may not have realized you can do with your GPS device.
1) You can always find the spot where you parked your car by marking it. Talk about a treasure hunt where “X” marks the spot!
2) You can track your route while hiking, biking, or horseback riding so that you can retrace your steps in order to find your way back where you started.
3) Some GPS devices can even allow you to ‘go it alone’ by offering the option of a digital compass rather than telling you step by step where to go (if this interests you, check the package details to see if this is available on the unit you are considering).
Keep in mind however that GPS and auto navigation systems aren’t fail safe. There are a few problems that the brochures, boxes, and salesmen might neglect to mention.
1) You still need to carry around an Atlas or road maps for backups as there are occasions when the data for GPS units may not be current or accurate. Remember that roads are built, close, and in need of repair and maintenance all the time. It’s nearly impossible to have one that is always correct up the minute.
2) These devices do not typically work well inside buildings or under dense forest cover.
3) Batteries, batteries, batteries. These are worse than digital cameras when it comes to burning through batteries. This is one reason that people tend to leave them charging at all times if you’re leaving your car with your unit be sure you have extra batteries for backup as it is quite likely that you will need them at the worst possible moment.
4) GPS units do not recognize the existence of mountains, rivers, and other obstructions in your path so the directions and coordinates they give can occasionally be misleading.
There are many pros and cons when it comes to not only auto navigation devices but also for handheld GPS devices as well. Be sure that you try out the model you are considering before you buy it if at all possible.
This will make your decision much easier and allow you to see whether or not you will be able to easily use and understand the auto navigation system you choose.
David is too shy to talk to the woman of his dreams. But he has a plan… Starring David Wain (The Ten, Stella), Callie Thorne (Rescue Me) & Leo Allen (Cheap Seats, Stella)
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