Thoughts on GPS....required for road trips...

One of my pals recently loaned me a portable GPS made by Averatec to evaluate. While I am not sure that it would be my first choice to buy, (too big to fit in my pocket!) I have now concluded that I will not be without a GPS device, but I really have begun to think about GPS and these type of devices in a slightly different way. Part of my thinking has been driven the the recognition that the device is really valuable when I am on the road. Landing at say the airport in San Jose, and having a vague general idea of where I am going has now been replaced by a moving map and verbal instructions. It has saved me a huge amount of time. Massive! And, no confusion or concern. Wonderfully accurate!

Hence whenever I am traveling it is the second thing after my Lenovo X61 tablet that gets packed.

But at the same time, it, e.g. the GPS has also fallen into the category of attractive nuisance. Attractive in that my car window was broken, and while the thief failed to get the device, but did make off with the bracket and the charger. Now the device rests quietly on the floor when I am not in the car.

But my real epiphany vis a vis GPS devices occurred at Pop!Tech. I found myself talking to an executive from Lexus. I asked him if the new Lexus had a plug for an iPod. To my surprise he said they did not, but they had a great GPS.

At that moment it dawned on me that what every car manufacturer should offer is an option by which you can plug a portable GPS into say a socket in the glove box. The socket would contain power and a plug to a display on the dash and an antenna in the car. The net effect would be that the GPS would benefit from your car systems, but when you left your car at the airport in your home city, you could un-plug the portable unit, take it with you on the road and you would get the benefit of having it with you wherever you went.  

I dare say that everyone would want this kind of configuration as the device could try become personal.

When I look at the Nuvi 360 from Garmin, I think that this model could be extended ever further in that the Nuvi 360 has both Blue Tooth and speakers, hence you could literally use it not only as a GPS, but a speaker system for your phone, etc.

I am sure there would be little if any engineering hassles in making my suggestion work, and it would add a great benefit to the travel experience. This also when coupled with the availability of European & Asian maps, means that you truly would never be lost.

This idea has got to be right around the corner, unless the profit from built in GPS devices is so great that the car guys simply won’t implement this.

Stay tuned, maybe someone will make this happen, and then the idea of never having to ask directions will be become the standard!

 

 

Comments

[JC Carvill]

GPS's seem to be the norm now adays. I can't wait to get one.

[Dick Rowan]

My wife says it's amazing to what lengths men will go to avoid asking for directions. She just doesn't understand!

[Robin Capper]

Some argue that we don't need thme in New Zealand as there is only one or two roads...

I've had an Garmin Etrex Legend for years and love it. It doesn't do auto-route finding (or shout at you) but there is a massive difference between just having a map and having a map that knows where you are, where you're heading and which way you're currently are going!