Re: GPS Navigator vs Mini-Notebook+GPS

Cool! :)

I might try to find a used laptop.

D from BC myrealaddress(at)comic(dot)com BC, Canada Posted to usenet sci.electronics.design

You need a mighty small notebook, assuming you are going to put it on the dash. A netbook is more like it. Assuming you take it with you, you will need to boot the notebook every time you start up. Now if you get the built in GPS, you might be able to put it to sleep. A friend just bought that P series Sony with the built in GPS. It worked OK, but the GPS won't get recognized anymore. I haven't followed up why, but we're talking failure in the field. I'd hate to depend on such a system.

The phone based navigation presumes you have coverage. A big assumption.

I've had two cars with built-in navigation. I've also used the Nuvi. Other than having to pack up the Nuvi when you leave the vehicle, it worked pretty well. Obviously having a built-in nav is the way to go for new vehicles since you don't have to pack up the GPS when you leave the vehicle.

Note that the Nuvi and similar models lack the accelerometers of the built-in systems. In situations where you have canopy issues, the accelerometer keeps the system working. Besides tunnels (DOH), you can lose the GPS in very dense urban areas or heavily forested areas.

For something not built in, the Nuvi is the way to go.

I'm of the opinion that you're better off getting a separate little Bluetooth GPS receiver so that you can then mount your netbook (or whatever) anywhere you want: While the GPS receivers these days are sensitive enough that they don't need a "clear view of the sky," giving them one can still help a bit with acquisition time and accuracy.

"The phone based navigation presumes you have coverage. A big assumption."

Absolutely, I'm always amazed at how many people want cell system infrastructure-based navigation solutions: The time when you most need help with navigation is going to be when you're out in the boonies with no people, gas stations, or cell phones for miles in any direction!

---Joel

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WIth bluetooth, you need a power source for the GPS. That might be an issue.

The only time I wish I had a GPS in my cellphone is when I am on foot in an urban environment, especially after coming out of a subway. The subway just messes up my orientation.

The problem with a GPS in the boonies is most remote roads are not on the map, or in the case of that family that got stranded in Washington state, the road on the map may not be passable. My built-in nav system tries to protect me from certain roads like 120 in the Sierras. The road can be closed at times, so it just figures better safe than sorry. [You force a stop on the road and then it has to use it.]

Once cell phones went digital, range went out the window. You can get around signal strength with external antennas or amps, but digital has timing limitations, and getting around the speed of light is really difficult! I've read that in Australia they have areas with a tweak on their GSM to allow cell sites go further in regards to timing. I've been in many a remote area where the cellphone sees a GSM tower, but can't use it due to the timing constraints.

Getting back to the original question, I still like the Nuvi over any solution other than a built in. I don't a Nuvi but was pretty impressed for how well the one that I used worked. I've seen lots of bugs in Tom-Toms, but this market is very dynamic.

Yes, however the problem when coming out of a subway is that you don't know which way you're facing and which way you should turn. And since at least my phone has no compass, I need to walk around a bit to see where I'm supposed to go...

To be honest I don't mind having a GPS in my phone for other stuff too, like Nokia's Sportstracker, for example.

Many of the batteries last 6-12 hours these days (i.e., for mnay people a "full day" of driving), but yeah, it can be a bit ugly having Yet Another Cable going from your cigarette lighter up to your dash or wherever.

"The problem with a GPS in the boonies is most remote roads are not on the map, or in the case of that family that got stranded in Washington state, the road on the map may not be passable."

Very true. Having the old Delorme topo maps (electronically or perhaps better still in the printed version for the state you're in) is still a good idea.

"My built-in nav system tries to protect me from certain roads like 120 in the Sierras. The road can be closed at times, so it just figures better safe than sorry."

Perhaps they don't want you to end up like James Kim...

"Getting back to the original question, I still like the Nuvi over any solution other than a built in."

Nuvis are great -- my wife's father has one -- but I'd prefer a laptop running Street Atlas USA or Microsoft Streets & Trips if I'm heading somewhere remote that's completely unfamiliar.

I have a little Nokina N800 internet "tablet" that I use for getting around urban areas (like California :-) ), and while the interface is poor compared to a Nuvi, it does work and also serves the purpose of being an eBook reader and a video player.

"I've seen lots of bugs in Tom-Toms, but this market is very dynamic."

This is the year of the $99 GPS navigator, which is a price point where many people are perhaps no longer going to pay as much attention to the brand's reputation and whose maps they're using.

---Joel

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Gee, a database update is $100. I can just imagine how well those $99 navigators work.

California is the nanny state. If the road isn't passable, they shut it down. Driving 120 and then the Tioga pass requires checking ahead of time to see if the road is passable. I've been on the Jersey Turnpike. They can change the speed limit electronically. Talk about nanny-ism.

Back to the Nuvi, one thing it does that my built-in Nav doesn't is it displays the speed limit. Unfortunately, not perfectly. ;-)

Yep... at $99 most people are just going to toss them out and get another one when the maps become too out of date. Kinda sad, really. (Reminds me of photos like these:

Low-end refurb'd Tom-Toms are $80 with free shipping from Amazon:

"They can change the speed limit electronically. Talk about nanny-ism."

Seems like there'd be a legal challenge to that (changing speed limits electronically) unless they've been very careful to tell the cops that, whenever the speed limit drops, you have to give people a pass if they're still thinking the old speed limit applies in the next XX hours.

---Joel

Anyone who lives back East deserves it ;-)

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at

Liberals are so ignorant... They don't even know the definition of ignorant

Around here, the posted limits on the assorted Chesapeake Bay bridges are on electronic signs, permitting changes during conditions of reduced visibility or high winds.

Could somebody be nailed if they had just gone beyond a sign when it changed to a lower limit? Probably, in theory. In practice, maybe not since the bulk traffic speed was likely already over the posted limit.