Portable GPS –MovingBeyond Location, Navigation and Information
Will We Ever Be Lost Again?
Men won’t admit to many things.They rarely acknowledge that they’re going bald, gained a few pounds, caught a cold or areever wrong.
Onething you almost never hear a mansay is that he’s lost, especially when he’s behind the wheel.What’s worse (asmany women will attest) is that men typicallyrefuse to pull over and ask for directions—even if it means driving in circles for hours.
But thanks to modern technology, men no longerneed to ‘fess up to their shortcomings on the road,or wander aimlessly hoping to stumble across a familiar street or the correct exitto get them back on track.
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) have made life on the highway easier to navigate, improved time management and made traveling less stressful for road warriors today.
Theseportable, affordable and increasingly ubiquitous navigation systems communicate directly with a fleet of orbiting satellites to determine their location, velocity and time, 24hours a day, regardless of weather or local geographic conditions.
Although developed for aerospace and military use, civilian GPS units have numerous applications, but are mainly used asnavigation aids for driving, flying, sailing, fishing, hiking, running, biking and even golfing.
“No longer are you trying to decipher a route from an Internet map or having to stop for directions,” says Ted Gartner, media relations manager for Garmin, a leading manufacturer of GPS devices. “All the maps you need to get from point A to point B are loaded into that box sitting on your dashboard. What’s great about GPS is that it lets you know where you are and tells you how to get where you want to go.”
Unlike a compass, which simply indicates geographic direction based on magnetic north, GPS receiversare sophisticated microprocessors that provide consumers with a wealth of valuable logistic information. Each electronic device contains a circuit board with several layers of copper that enable its various functions. Typically,Garmin’s GPS devices contain about one to one-and-a-half ounces of copper, Gartner added.
Originally known as NAVSTAR (for Navigation Satellite Timing and Ranging), GPS was invented by the military and, as a result, the devicesall continue to acquire their positioning signals from a network of satellites placed in orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. When units werefirst introduced to consumers, they were intentionally less precise than military versions, but as their popularity grew, additional functions and increasing sophistication inevitably followed.
Today, a number of companies manufacture navigation systemsfor your car, your cell phone or countless other hand-held devices. Units installed in vehicles are now commonplace, offering a variety of wide-screen, voice-activated, preloaded street maps covering North and South America, Puerto Rico, Asia and areas throughout Europe. Someunits offer additional features such as 3-D views, Bluetooth wireless capability, roadside assistance and real-time traffic updates. Most models provide software that allows users to update and expand navigation data online or through retail stores that sell the devices.
Garmin has sold over 31 million GPS units since consumer sales began to take off in 2007, and some 10.6 million units in just the first three quarters of 2008. TomTom, another global GPS manufacturer, expected to sell up to 12 million “personal navigation devices,” or PNDs, worldwide in 2008, earning $2.4 billion in U.S. dollars.
“Whether you’re in downtown Manhattanor traveling on a dirt road out in Kansas, the GPS works,” Gartner says. “I like to compareGPS tothe microwave phenomenon. When you have one,you soon wonder how you ever lived without it. It’s a convenience more than anything.”
Many GPS units now offer features that extend far beyond basic navigation. Some include directions to points of interest at any location, including restaurants, hotels, , clubs, gas stations and even ATMs. Models sold for hikers include live Internet links to orienteering events and activities, and golf GPS units contain maps and hole-to-hole playing information for individual courses around the globe.
“It’s so nice to have these features when you’re in an unfamiliar place or going on a spur-of-the-moment travel,” Gartner adds. “It gives you the opportunity to search for a hotel or restaurant in order of proximity and then call ahead so you can make reservations.”
GPS products are sold online, through Web sites such as Amazon.com, and in consumer electronic retail stores. Prices range anywhere from $100 up to $1,000, depending on themake, model and features available.
While many consumers increasingly opt for portable devices they can carry or easily transfer from vehicle to vehicle, some companies see built-in navigation systems as an essential component of every automobile in the future. The TomTom ONE, a PND installed directly into avehicle’s dashboard, is the company’s top-selling GPS device.TomTom recently announced a strategic partnership with auto manufacturer Renault to provide fully-integrated navigation systemsin Renault models beginning in 2009.
According to TomTom, GPS devices deliver “content and services that enhance the core navigation experience for consumers. With the best maps, routing and safety features available, (users) safely travel the most efficient routes, most cost-effectively. In essence, we empower our customers to navigate like a local wherever they go.”
So ladies, the next time you go for a drive with your man in an unfamiliar territory, consider carrying along a portable GPS if his car isn’t equipped with one. And take comfort and satisfaction in knowing that,although it won’t be your voice giving the directions, the automated voice he’ll hear telling him which way to go will invariably be a woman’s.