Free GPS Guidance
Archive for the ‘Automotive’ Category
I have often wondered how the Garmin nuvi compares to the iPhone for automotive GPS navigation. I recently had the chance to find out. I found myself traveling with a friend about 6 hours away from home and back. I had brought my nuvi along when I went to meet them, but I was told it was not needed as they had GPS in their car. Well, their car is much fancier than mine so I believed it came with a GPS navigation system factory installed. Just after leaving my nuvi behind I learned the truth. Oh my! How I missed my own GPS device once we hit the road. We came across a detour which the iPhone had no idea about and had to figure out the detour ourselves by enlarging the map and watching our car move as a blue dot around the screen working our way back onto the suggested route. Well, that was fun – not. Then again, I have become quite spoiled and like it that way.
My nuvi comes with lifetime traffic and helps me bypass traffic jams and scoots me around detours without hesitation, talking me through every step of the way. Instead of reading directions printed on the screen and trying to follow them, my device makes me aware ahead of time which lane to be in and when and where to turn next, readjusting automatically if I don’t make the suggested turn for whatever reason. I do agree that ‘she’ sometimes seems to get frustrated with me if I decide to take a shortcut that takes me off the beaten path, but ‘she’ adjusts to my choices as well as my mistakes and takes it all in stride. I have plans for another trip soon with yet another friend who says she has a GPS device in her car. This time my nuvi will ride along in my purse just in case I again miss her help along the way.
Hurricane Irene – Automotive GPS to the Rescue!
Well, as the end of summer is upon us we just experienced a rare occurrence in the northeast, a category 1 hurricane which, fortunately for us, then reduced to a strong tropical storm. As the folks who live on the southern and southeastern fringes of the US are well aware there was some significant damage along the roads and bridges. To say there are or have been some detours is an understatement. Some bridges were washed away, and there were quite a few trees blocking roadways not to mention the roads which were flooded or just plain washed away. This was a great time to experience automotive GPS systems at their best! Detours can be so confusing, especially for all the folks who were in the area vacationing or enjoying their summer homes and aren’t necessarily familiar with all the back roads or alternate routes in order to get to where they need to be. At this time especially, I wish everyone safety and health throughout the recovery period. Happy traveling!
Living out in the country as we do we have lots of open spaces and great views all around us. With all those open spaces come the most magnificent hot air balloons soaring over and around our property. It is so much fun to help get one ready to fly then watch it float away on the breeze. Beautiful! Another part of ballooning is the chase. We love to hop in the car and try to figure out which back road will lead us to where we think that beauty is going to land so we can meet the friendly people and help to fold that balloon back into it’s bag at the end of the ride. Also, you never know when the balloonist might open a bottle of champagne to share afterwards.
With one of the largest balloon festivals in the country happening practically in my back yard I have often wondered how so many chase vans who are unfamiliar with the area are going to get to the right back road to catch up with their own balloon and have seen more than one balloon have to stay inflated enough to pop up in sight for that chase van to find them. Now I have been wondering how many of those same balloonists might be changing over to a handheld GPS device or even automotive GPS so they can give their chase van the coordinates or road intersections they need in order to find them? That would be geocaching taken to a whole new level! I’m going to have to ask about that next time we go out chasing one of those beauties and find out how that might work for them. If anyone has tried this let me know! Sounds pretty intriguing to me.
We live out in the country. I love the quiet, our view and the space between our home and our neighbors. Now, don’t get me wrong – I really appreciate our neighbors ‘cause we have the best neighbors anyone could ask for, but I’ve lived where you can hear your neighbors just as well as your own family even when they are in their own homes. Can’t say I enjoyed that. I prefer life out in the country. Well, that being said, it is sometimes difficult for people to follow the directions we give to them so that they can easily find our house.
A friend of mine just called, and we decided it would be fun to get together at my house. I was mentally preparing myself for the usual “are you familiar with…” conversation and extensive directions when my friend spoke up and asked “what’s your address? I have one of those thingies in my car!” I love it! Gotta admit that I really love my own “thingie” in my car! Automotive GPS units are such a convenience. Of course, my Garmin nuvi has me spoiled. Sounds like my friend feels the same way about her automotive GPS “thingie” and has learned to rely on it the same as I have mine. I love to explore new places, but I sure love being able to find my way home again no matter where I wander and now that it is summertime I plan to do plenty of that! Have a happy 4th of July, and enjoy your own wandering this summer…
Ha! One of my closest friends in the whole world still was not willing to try using GPS. “Why bother when you can just Google where you want to go and write out the directions? That’s silly. I have my directions all written out and will have a teenaged copilot with me. I don’t need to use GPS.” Well, I set up my Garmin nuvi in his car the other day when he was heading off to a new location, directions in hand, and asked him to just humor me and see how the automotive GPS compared to his written directions. I showed him how to turn it off if it got too annoying and sent him on his way. When he got back to me he was truly amazed at what it was like to drive with automotive GPS on board. There was one intersection in particular that totally stumped him, and the GPS system just kept saying “recalculating”, and after a couple of tries it got him turned back around and onto the correct route. “Wow! Thanks! I’m not sure I would have gotten there without the auto GPS!” My friend is definitely a new convert to the use of automotive GPS. I love it!
Soon after I wrote the previous article about how thieves will do a ‘smash and grab’ if they see any evidence of having a GPS, or anything valuable for that matter, in your car I stayed at a hotel in Pennsylvania for a week. During that time, with my weighted friction mount GPS holder well hidden and my GPS safely in my hotel room, I heard of just such activity having occurred overnight in our hotel. Wow, three different cars had windows smashed and stuff grabbed out of them during the night. I was one of the lucky ones and have to wonder how much of that luck I can credit to not leaving anything of value in my car, or any evidence of having mounted my GPS in my vehicle. It was so easy to do, too! I just remove my GPS from the friction mount, tuck it into my purse, and hide the mount under the front seat out of sight. How much simpler can you get?
On a lighter note, the thieves actually spent the time to riffle through a CD case, tossing those they weren’t interested in and only taking a few. I sure wouldn’t expect someone doing a ‘smash and grab’ to take the time to bother doing that! The teenage girl was relieved not to lose very much of her collection, though, since we obviously had picky thieves! It sure did put a damper on their plans, though, as they needed to get the window replaced in their car while they were still on vacation. Bummer.
I will continue to use my friction mount and have recommended the same to several of my friends who have those telltale suction cup marks on their windshields. Besides, mine is more convenient because I don’t have to work to get it to stick or stay, just set it on the dash and go!
I was talking with my brother-in-law today about his automotive GPS and that we had noticed an article on the news recently about how often automotive GPS units are getting stolen these days. When you are parking your car, especially in the larger cities, it is all too common for someone to do a “smash and grab”, and your GPS unit is gone. He says they are even looking to see if there is a mark on your windshield where the suction cup has been removed, so some folks will break into your car just in case you stuffed your GPS under the seat or in the glove compartment or something. That suction cup mark is a dead giveaway that there probably has been or may still be a GPS present in your car. That led to a discussion about different options in GPS mounts and the possible problems with each.
Again, the suction cup mount will more than likely leave a telltale mark on your windshield. Also, the GPS car cup holder mounts or vent mounts would either be visible and also a tipoff of the presence of an automotive GPS and might actually cause damage if you were trying to take it off and on whenever you park your car. Not good at all.
In my opinion, a great option would be a bean bag mount, or even better, in my opinion, is the Nav-Pack which is a new, innovative mounting device for most GPS units that doubles as a carrying case when not in use. It contours to the top of your dashboard and works on most uneven or textured surfaces. With a high tech, anti-skid material that keeps the device from sliding, the Nav-Pack provides a stable mounting base for your portable GPS or other electronic devices. With the added benefit of becoming a padded carrying case for your automotive GPS when not in use, I think that is the best way to go in today’s sad society where some people don’t think twice before stealing something, possibly even for a lark. Well, be smart and protect your car and GPS by making a simple change to the way you use your automotive GPS. I think you will be glad you did.
Well, I was out Christmas shopping this afternoon, and I saw a wonderful but sad shopping situation. Mother and daughter knew that dad would like an automotive GPS for Christmas, but instead of looking for the features he would use most they were looking at the price. Let’s see, we were planning to spend $XXX for his gift, so I guess this is the one we will buy because it fits the price range.
I would like to recommend that you use some of the articles that have been posted here to help you sort through the differences and benefits of different automotive GPS systems. Will he enjoy spoken street names? Would he use Bluetooth capability? How about the size of the screen – widescreen or small enough to carry in his pocket with the ability to use while sightseeing on vacation or to help find the way back to the car at the mall? Anyways, there are so many options to choose from, and don’t forget to look at refurbished or sale GPS systems in order to get the most bang for your buck. And then there are the many GPS accessories, such as GPS mounts, to complement your choice which you might also consider.
I feel that gift giving is much more about the relationship than the gift. I expect dear old dad would appreciate either a simple or fancy unit with the features he would enjoy most way more than knowing that you spent the allotted amount of money on his gift… I know that I would! Well, I hope Santa brings you exactly what you wanted for Christmas (or whichever holiday your own family happens to celebrate) this year!
The following travel safety tips will save you a lot of trouble when you travel locally or abroad, alone or with friends.
You need to consider security measures to protect you, your stuff and your travel plans and to provide a safe trip for you and your fellow travelers. The following travel safety tips can save you a lot of trouble.
1. Make sure your passport and a visa are up-to-date before you try to travel abroad.
2. Do not forget to carry information for emergency calls. This can be very useful in times of crisis.
3. If you travel abroad, learn about the culture in which you plan to visit. This saves a lot of confusion and can ensure a safe holiday. Learn some key phrases of the local language, such as “Help” in case you are separated from your tour guide or friends. If you are traveling alone, you may want to hire a guide who speaks at least two languages, yours and the native language.
4. Walking in a group is safer than going alone, especially in sparsely populated areas. Also a group will add to your enjoyment. Thieves and robbers usually target those who travel alone.
5. Always use covered luggage tags and try to prevent your address on luggage tags from opening. You can use both the address of your destination and of course your home in case of lost luggage.
6. Keep your ears open to your inner voice and trust your intuition. Women, single parents and parents of small children are easy prey for crime against tourists. Be vigilant at all times when on your own.
7. Bring along your own automotive GPS device. Several of the automotive GPS units can also be carried easily in your pocket. Not only if you drive yourself, even if you are using taxis in an unfamiliar location your own GPS navigation will help assure that the taxi driver doesn’t try to take advantage of you and take creative “shortcuts” in order to charge you extra. Bringing your automotive GPS systems will also help you navigate on foot while in a new city while you get your bearings and make sure you are able to get back to your hotel at the end of the day.
Again, it is fun to travel to new places, but be sure to use common sense and be safe while doing so.
One of the best tools for pleasant holiday travel, including navigating to your vacation spot and offering some entertaining points of interest along the way, is the addition of helpful GPS navigation systems. Whether you might be touring cross-country or taking a quick weekend journey, having an automotive GPS system will make your journey simpler, quicker and rather more fun.
Lately, GPS systems have begun to mature from barebones models to more feature-packed GPS receivers that additionally allow you to play music and even make calls from your car. Some GPS systems and satellite radios are becoming the newest add-ons for brand spanking new automobiles and some car rentals, and there are a number of fascinating and ever more affordable choices to upgrade your existing vehicle. Today’s GPS units work nicely with small or internal GPS antennas providing visible and voice prompts for upcoming turns, and dynamically adjusting while you take a detour. These systems can usually store the major highway maps for complete regions plus detailed maps for a particular area in addition to points of interest, addresses and even phone numbers for your convenience.
There’s so much to see and do. Be sure you don’t miss a thing while driving or hiking, for instance touring around national parks and other scenic vistas. Now you could have the power and security to make any trip an easy and memorable one whether or not you are working, sightseeing or a little of both. You will not get lost or miss out on the special points of interest with the aid of a GPS receiver, whether you explore in your own automobile, a rental car or RV. With multilingual flip-by-flip visible steering, voice prompt navigation and simple to learn graphics, traveling from place to place has never been easier or more visitor friendly. Additionally, automotive GPS systems offer you instructions for the most popular driving routes, but allow you to get off the beaten path and to take the roads much less traveled. You’ll get to see and experience more than you ever could have on your own.
When vacationing in unfamiliar cities or countries GPS also comes in handy and helps you enjoy exploring without worry. Now you’ll be able to navigate to new locations with GPS mapping specific to the areas you’re traveling in. GPS navigation systems are nearly indispensable additions to your travel gear. Just grab a GPS unit, relax and enjoy your journey!