Comments on: GPS Nav: Turning Map Hands Into Useless Flippers?

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:07:29 +0000

We used a Garmin this year for the road trip and it worked pretty well sans the occasional ‘poor satellite reception’ message. Alas, however, while on said road trip, while visiting the home of his Air Force son and sweet, kind and beautiful daughter in law, in his triumph, the old man pulled out his Garmin; however, the 23-year-old son, then pulls out his I-phone complete with 3G service, GPS, trip planner, step by step direction app, real-time traffic, Google street view, etc. Sigh…

By: Brian Rathjen

Brian Rathjen — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:11:14 +0000

We use our GPS as a routing tool. We plot our own route and we do not let the GPS plot it for us. High end Garmins have this capability. First we see where we want to go on paper and then follow along with the Road Trip Mac program and download it to the GPS.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:10:36 +0000

I use Streets & Trips on my laptop. It it the best of both with the “big picture” and GPS navigation.

By: Jon

Jon — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:05:44 +0000

My GPS only comes out at motels for planning after mis-timed audio instruction and old/missing map data (I bought a Cobra w/harddrive for this?). I can mis-navigate by any method, but I hate bad signage…I was trying to follow US9 N into northern NJ “use left lane” when the Garden State PKWY split from the highway to I95. NO sign for US9 so I missed my urban crawl I had planned and hit the Comfort Inn in Paramus for an EARLY 12:30PM check-in! Thanks
(and I used to drive over-the-road in this area)

By: Craig

Craig — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:02:06 +0000

I still use maps a lot because they give me a “big picture” view that I can’t get on a little LCD screen.

A GPS in the car actually makes it easier to take spur-of-the-moment detours. I can now see whether or not that side road will bring me back to somewhere useful, or if I’ll have to retrace my steps.

By: Tara

Tara — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:50:40 +0000

Not only are we no longer/more rarely using maps/printed directions – we don’t get the rare thrill of asking someone for directions along the way who replies:
“Go down this road apiece, then left when you see the blue flowers – there’ll be a whole bunch-un-em by the road. Turn there, and go for a while – a long while – before you take a right by the Mills’ barn. It’s red, not bright red, like a brown red. Yeah. Then it’ll just come up and bite you.”