Wanting a GPS Receiver
For many years, I've been fascinated by the potential for consumer applications of the Global Positioning System (GPS). In 2003, I bought a handheld Garmin eTrex Legend GPS receiver to track the positions of wireless access points located during war-driving expeditions. The GPS receiver was connected to a laptop computer over a serial cable, and the wireless scanning program would sample the current location any time a wireless access point was detected. This resulted in range of coordinates for all access points discovered. Feeding the data into a mapping program produced an overlay of the access points on a street map, complete with circles indicating their effective range. Pretty cool stuff back then, but most people have the sense to lock down their access points in 2007, so war-driving is a waste of time except to learn how saturated an area is with wireless technology.
Hand-held GPS receivers for outdoor activities are old-hat, but GPS receivers in cars are becoming hugely popular. Newer receivers operate with such precision that they even know which lane of traffic the car is in. This was not possible in years past due to selective-availability ("dithering") purposely introduced by the DoD to reduce the precision of GPS readings in non-military receivers. The DoD discontinued the practice of dithering in 2000. Also, the 3-dimensional mapping capabilities of car GPS receivers have improved greatly. They can present road and point-of-interest features on a moving map generated in real-time.
So, I really want for Natalie & I to get a GPS receiver for the car. We, like a lot of couples, sometimes get frustrated by inaccurate or limited driving directions. It would be much more convenient to have a mapping device that allowed us to enjoy the scenery while driving instead of agonizing over when the next turn is. The major obstacle has been the price-point: a Garmin Nuvi 350 is currently selling for $450 on Amazon. This is a lot of money to spend on a tech-gadget. I've been putting the heat on Natalie for us to get a GPS receiver, and with the travel plans we're developing for the summer, I might be able to convince her soon. One can hope!
Comments
Bryan and I tried out both Garmin and Magellan GPS gadgets. They both greatly reduced the amount of arguments we had while in the car. I think we liked the Garmin better. Check out Costco because you can return it if you don't like it.
Posted by: Kate | February 11, 2007 1:23 PM
I did a side-by-side hands on comparison of Garmin and TomTom's products and went with Garmin for their accuracy and ease of use. I would say TomTom is to Linux as Garmin is to OS X. TomTom has more bells and whistles, is a little more complicated, and surprisingly inaccurate maps. They claim to have newer and better maps out, but I haven't tried those. Garmin's products only have the features you need for everyday car GPS use, but those features are well done, easy to understand, and their maps are very accurate. If you need more features go with their StreetPilot 2xxx series. Having a GPS is also nice because it reduces the stress and number of fights related to getting lost in cities like San Francisco, with its one-way streets, no left turns, and friendly crackheads.
Posted by: bryan | February 12, 2007 4:15 PM
That's good news about the Garmin, I ordered the nuvi 350 yesterday after bugging Natalie to the point of exhaustion :) You're right about getting lost in the city - I have a reputation of being a "bum-magnet", and have had poor luck with directions they've provided me. Here's to self-reliance! Or, being dependent on an expensive electronic device... :)
Posted by: Scott | February 12, 2007 4:57 PM