The Savvy Boomer

Update on the TOMTOM GPS

 

I first posted about the TOMTOM 930 a couple of years ago after it totally impressed me when we used it on a long road trip.  Since then the love affair has cooled a bit and while I still think it's a great tool, I want to point out some things to consider when you are looking to buy a GPS.  I can only comment on the TOMTOM but these are some questions you may want to ask about any model before you purchase it.

1. It can take a long time to find a satellite signal when first turned on.  This is particularly annoying if you have no idea which direction to begin driving as you may wait up to 5 minutes for a signal.  For some reason this has become worse over time as it wasn't a problem when the unit was new.  I have downloaded fixes for this which seem to correct the problem temporarily but it is usually about a 3 minute wait after first turning it on and it doesn't seem to matter if I'm outdoors.  Once the signal is locked in, because it uses up to 7 satellites, there is minimal chance you will lose it when driving but it has happened once or twice and if you are manoeuvring through downtown, that can be very annoying.
2. You will have to pay to upgrade your maps.  For some reason. I thought this would be part of normal maintenance, but after about a year, they start sending you notices that updated maps are available for approx.  $50.  Some manufacturers include this as part of the service so calculate this into the cost of ownership.
3. Some addresses are just improperly positioned.  We were looking for a shopping plaza the other day and when we got to an intersection, it told us to turn right and that it was about 100 metres north.  But as I sat there, I looked left and saw the plaza about 200 metres south.  My advice is that it will get you reasonably close but not always exactly to your destination.  I have adopted the rule that the last few hundred metres are my responsibility, not the TOMTOM's.
4. Sometimes the route you take will lead you through neighbourhoods with speed limits and stop signs instead of main roads.  This can be very frustrating when you realize you have spent extra time that wasn't necessary.  Also, I hate it when it brings me to an intersection and says turn left when there is a median in the centre of the road which makes that impossible.  Or, it directs you to turn into a one way street that runs against your direction.
5. It takes quite some time to know where all the features are located and at times it can be less than user friendly.
6. If you accidently touch the display, it can switch to another screen which means you have to touch it in a certain position to get back to the navigation screen-not a good thing to have to try to to do when driving in heavy traffic.  I live in British Columbia and doing anything other than just looking at a GPS while driving can get you a $167 ticket-same as using a cell phone.  So if you have a passenger, get them to do the operating.
   

Having said all this, I still like the TOMTOM, especially the bluetooth phone and mp3 features.  It's like any gadget-once you know its weaknesses-you compensate and learn to live with them.  Best of all, you can now get a Bugs Bunny voice for your TOMTOM.  That alone should seal the deal.  THAT's ALL FOLKS.

Driving with a GPS

 

Like many other gadgets I have purchased over the years, I wonder how I ever survived without the technology of the latest gadget-a GPS.  I purchased a TOMTOM 930 and quickly came to rely on it for our recent 4500 mile trip.  After you input the address or location you want to go (either by touch screen or voice input) it  guides you to your destination on a turn by turn basis and even tells you the best lane to be in on multi-lane highways.  The best thing is that if you miss a turn or don't follow its directions, it instantly recalculates your route and starts issuing new directions to get you back on track.  There are a variety of standard voices and languages to choose from and you can download many more, some of which are fee based.  It comes standard with maps for the US. Canada and Europe with many other countries available for a fee.

Back to the future with a hand crank

I remember watching my grandfather hand crank one of his company trucks when I was a youngster.  Of course electric starters had been invented by then (hey-I'm not that old) but it was the first truck he bought for the company and it had a lot of memories for him so he wasn't going to part with it although he was the only one in the company who knew how to start it.

The hand crank has made a return, this time into the world of technology.  Read more below.

What is your EFQ? (Electronics Frustration Quotient)

I was in an electronics store checkout line yesterday and the lady in front of me had placed a desktop PC on the counter that she was clearly unhappy with.  The cashier was also clearly unhappy because not only was this lady in the wrong line but she had no idea how to calm the lady down.  The customer had obviously reached her breaking point and wasn't about to listen to the fact that she should go to another counter to speak to a technician.  Most of what she was complaining about seemed to stem from the fact she really had no idea how to operate a PC and had even less comprehension what an Operating System does.  Her point was that the sales person had told her that it would be cakewalk to set up her new PC and she would be surfing the internet, sending emails to her daughter in University, and downloading pictures from the 5 SD cards she had filled up because she had no idea how to download them.

She said she had spent at least 50 hours trying to get everything to work and now she just wanted her money back.  Finally a manager managed to entice her to another part of the store but I thought as I left the store that it was probably about to refund over $1,000 to the customer and all because they had failed to overcome her EFQ.

Consumer Electronics Show the grandaddy of hi tech shows

In the 70's and 80's and 90's, the big convention for the hi tech crowd was COMDEX.  It brought together over 150,000 people to see the latest releases in hardware, software and networking.  It was a big dollar event held in November in Las Vegas every year although the average participant was labelled "cheap" because they didn't gamble and spend a lot of money.  A cab driver told me that he hated working that week because the Comdex attendees were the lowest tippers at any Vegas convention.  While it was a huge money making vehicle for Shel Adelson who eventually sold it and built the Venetian in Vegas with the proceeds, the popularity of the internet has caused Comdex to be indefinitely "postponed" since 2004.

The Consumer Electronics Show was in the Comdex shadow for 30+ years but has now become "the" hi-tech Convention not to be missed in Vegas.  With the popularity of electronic gadgets that interface  with the web and the advent of "hi-def", CES is the place for companies to launch their new products and get the media buzz necessary to try and make an impact on the market. 

You'll be hearing a lot of announcements from the show that runs Jan 7-10, or you can go to their web site to keep up to date with all the happenings.

Batteries recharge off USB port

I learned about the diversity of USB ports when I bought an Archos 605 which uses USB technology to recharge the unit's battery.  So it makes sense that a company called USB Cell markets AA batteries that recharge off a USB port.  They claim they will soon be introducing other battery types as well.  I would imagine it's just a matter of time before the big guys move into this lucrative  eco-friendly market.

Track who stole your electronic gadget

If you have ever lost or had one of your USB electronic gadgets (camera, pda, Ipod etc.) stolen, you realize there isn't a whole lot you can do about it.  TechCrunch has coverage of a couple of software products that can track your gadget and one of them is even free for now.  Be sure to read the comments on the post.  It seems that the original company is accusing the new company of ripping them off and even threatens to sue them.  Ahhh I love technology.

TIVO comes to Canada

TIVO is basically a very sophisticated  digital video recorder that records programs from your TV cable or satellite.  TIVO announced today that it will soon be legally sold in Canadian electronics stores.  Up to now, TIVO boxes  had to be brought in from the US and if you ran into technical problems you were on your own and that's if you could somehow get a US subscription.  There are already similar products available from the Canadian cable carriers so the introduction of TIVO will probably make DVRs (Digital Video Recorders) start to become more popular in Canada.  Apparently the initial model being released will not be HD capable so that may be a hindrance to sales as the ones provided by the cable companies are.  Also, the DVRs are built into the same box as the HD receiver so the monthly fee covers both.  The TIVO set will cost $199 plus a monthly fee. Canadian cable companies are quite protective of their turf so I predict a battle for TIVO.