I was given a GPS as a present. I’ve long had issues with navigation in cars and not liking to go places, but I didn’t realize just how bad those issues were until the GPS eliminated most of them. Before being given it, I wouldn’t’ve paid more than $50 for it. After, I would easily have paid $200+.
My wife and I get lost as well. It seems infrequent, but unfortunately when it happens it is epic and horrible. This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for—something one would never know prior to owning the device, but could share from beyond the curtain. Thanks.
ETA: I don’t have data, but in researching this more found a couple of programs that appear not to require data plans and yet still navigate with GPS-unit-containing devices (CoPilot and nDrive are the ones I’ve found so far). Thus, I may be able to get the use of a tablet, continue not buying a data plan, and also have GPS capabilities.
It seems that modern smartphones all contain GPS chips. I’ve heard that the Android version of Google maps is finally allowing you to download maps of routes and use them offline.
I was given a GPS as a present. I’ve long had issues with navigation in cars and not liking to go places, but I didn’t realize just how bad those issues were until the GPS eliminated most of them. Before being given it, I wouldn’t’ve paid more than $50 for it. After, I would easily have paid $200+.
My wife and I get lost as well. It seems infrequent, but unfortunately when it happens it is epic and horrible. This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for—something one would never know prior to owning the device, but could share from beyond the curtain. Thanks.
ETA: I don’t have data, but in researching this more found a couple of programs that appear not to require data plans and yet still navigate with GPS-unit-containing devices (CoPilot and nDrive are the ones I’ve found so far). Thus, I may be able to get the use of a tablet, continue not buying a data plan, and also have GPS capabilities.
If you have a modern smartphone with a modest data plan, does a discrete GPS still hold any advantages?
They seem to be more accurate, since I’m not sure how many cellphones come with GPS built-in (as opposed to triangulating off cell phone towers).
It seems that modern smartphones all contain GPS chips. I’ve heard that the Android version of Google maps is finally allowing you to download maps of routes and use them offline.
Alas, I can’t even follow my GPS’s instructions even when the voice bloody tells me “turn left you idiot”.
I tend to ignore my GPS’s spoken instructions and periodically attend to the map it’s displaying.