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Saturday September 11, 2010

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On The Pulse: GPSs

Posted by: Risto Sampola, Deep Tank | 12 January, 2009 - 10:45 AM
A Garmin Nuvi 760 Technology guru Risto Sampola will be posting a technology blog every week on 3AW.com.au - helping make it easier for you to understand how technology can help you in your day-to-day life. Feel free to ask Risto a question - it could be anything from computers to digital TV (enter your question below the article) - and he will be happy to respond and help out.

For more about Risto Sampola and how he can help you - click here
Most of you have no doubt heard of GPS devices and will also probably know they are used to find various locations by entering the address you would like to get to. Most of you have also been getting by ‘just fine’ with a paper map for many years – or have simply stopped someone on the street or traffic lights to ask for directions. So why would you want one of these? Is it just a solution looking for a problem? No, not at all...

For the purpose of this article I will concentrate on the most popular category, which is the portable ‘hand-held’ type that comes with a car suction cup cradle, so it can be fixed to the inside of your windscreen in a position where you can easily see its screen.  The power will come from a ‘cigarette lighter’ socket in your car and this will also charge its built-in battery, so you can keep using it outside the car. The most popular screen sizes are 3.5” and 4.3” (highly recommended) and being touch screens there are usually very few hardware buttons to operate – most often just the on/off switch. The rest is taken care of by tapping the screen’s virtual buttons, which makes it very easy.

All automotive GPS units sold in Australia come with a map of Australia, detailed right down to the house number, so finding any address is simple and most GPS units come with voice guidance and the better units even have a text-to-speech algorithm, so they can pronounce street names, along the lines of “In 400m turn left to Rosewood Avenue”. This makes them very user friendly and even though they do display a moving map you often don’t even have to look at it. It’s pretty much the same as having someone who knows the way sitting next to you verbally telling you which way to go! They will also tell you how far you have to go to reach your destination and will also estimate the time to get there, based on the speed limits of the roads ahead.

Now that just about everyone has a mobile phone it can be all too tempting to take and make calls while driving. Not only is this illegal, but also very dangerous, unless you use a hands-free kit. Many GPS’s come with Bluetooth functionality and will even import your phone book from your mobile phone. Want to call John? No problem – just press the phone symbol on your GPS, scroll down your phone book and press the ‘dial’ button. When John answers the phone you’ll hear his voice from the GPS unit’s speaker and you can speak freely with both hands on the wheel as the built-in microphone will pick up your voice. You don’t even need to touch your mobile phone – it can be in your pocket or handbag.

Most good GPS units in Australia will have their mapping data provided by Sensis, which is owned by Telstra and therefore there’s a lot more to the information than street names and numbers. Restaurants, petrol stations, shops, ATM machines, doctors, police stations, airports, train stations – you get the idea – are also listed and some even categorised. Fancy a Thai meal? No problem, from the “Where to?” screen select restaurants and then Asian food and all Asian restaurants will be listed in ascending order by distance from wherever you might happen to be. If their phone number is listed a call to them is just a button push away. Another button push will give you turn-by-turn directions to your tasty destination.

Other handy features may include alerts for speed and red light cameras and school zones for added motoring safety. Some units also feature mp3 players and can even feature an FM transmitter, so you simply dial up the appropriate frequency on your car radio and all navigation voice prompts and your music collection can be heard over your car radio. There are also talking books for those long drives and no reason why you couldn’t also listen to so called Podcasts via your GPS too.

If you have ever been stuck in traffic (who hasn’t?) there’s even more good news, albeit at a slight extra cost. Some higher end GPS units are compatible with FM receivers, but instead of a regular radio audio broadcast the GPS will receive constant traffic data updates from Suna Traffic (www.sunataffic.com.au). If there is a traffic delay on your chosen route your GPS unit will be informed of this and will recommend an alternative route before you even get close to the ‘eye of the storm’.  Worth its weight in gold, I’m sure you’ll agree!

Other handy features offered by some GPS units are so called ‘travel tools’, like language translators, currency converters, unit converters (pounds to kilos etc.), photo viewers and a “Where am I?” function, which will give you the address of where you are. Many units can also be set up to only function when a four digit PIN number has been entered, very much like security codes for car radios. This will discourage thieves from nicking your unit, because unless they have your PIN number the unit will simply not function.

So yes, a GPS unit will get you from A to B, but there is so much more to the functionality of these units I would wholeheartedly recommend one to any motorist or traveller. You can also purchase extra mapping data for them, so if you’re off to another continent simply purchase the relevant map and never get lost again.

If you have any questions regarding GPS navigators, please feel free to leave me a comment below and I’ll be more than happy to give you specific advice to your particular requirements. Happy travels!

When asking Risto product specific questions please provide the brands and models of your equipment as this will allow him to respond with a more detailed reply.

Blog comments Your Say

  • Hi Mark,

    Perhaps we'll just have to agree to disagree here - otherwise this could go on forever. I love them, you think they're a waste of time and money. Other readers will have to judge for themselves.

    Cheers, Risto

    Risto Sampola Monday 23 March, 2009 - 8:15 PM

  • If a truck falls over (...in the forest and nobody hears it) and you are stuck on the Monash Freeway then you wait till the Police give you the ok to continue your journey. You only need the tourist map of the towns you are interested in, not "tons" of paper-based maps. It is easy to find the house number - odd on one side, even on the other (Also asking the person you are visiting what landmark, shop etc is nearest also helps). As for knowing where to stop in each town - it is called research. You look up books, guides, phone places and the internet and write it down as an itinerary and take it with you. I have looked at GPSs both online and at the shops and the cost of updates (which by the way is expensive) and found them to be no more than another device to show off to your mates and going by the forums on the internet the thieves favourite item. That is why at some shopping centres there are signs saying you should take your GPS and its mounting device out of the car and wipe the suction cup mark off the windscreen so thieves not steal it. When I went touring through Tasmania, through the outback (birdsville, innamincka, Walkers crossing, Williams creek) I did not need a GPS just my printed maps and itinerary.

    Mark Creighton Monday 23 March, 2009 - 4:33 PM

  • Hi Mark,

    Garmin Nuvi PIN codes cannot be 'reset' - the only way is to go to a designated 'security location', which the thief obviously would not know. Sure, there might be a crack on the web (never seen one though), but comparing this to copying a DVD is futile as every DVD player has a decoder in it. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to watch one. They were cracked by a 15 year old Norwegian kid many years ago... Say you're on Monash Freeway and a truck falls over - it'll take hours to have it removed, so everyone has to take some route or another to get off. At least a GPS will tell you the most sensible one. If you've just been out (and not looking at Vic Roads online) at least your GPS will inform you of the issue within minutes and advise you not to go there in the first place. Many tourist maps do not have the names of smaller roads/streets - and they certainly don't have house numbers. Calling every small town's tourist info and have them snail-mail me a paper map makes no sense at all... If you're touring around, how are you going to know every place where you might want to stop? And yes, I too have heard a few amusing GPS mishap stories - they make far better press than the tens of millions of succesful GPS journeys taken every day. Which GPS's have you tried to have such a negative mindset on them?

    Risto Sampola Wednesday 18 March, 2009 - 6:38 PM

  • Risto
    Just because something has a pin code does not mean it can't be used. There would be a "crack" on the internet to bypass the pin code or even ring the maker and find out how to reset the pin code. (Just look at how easy it is to copy a DVD). Having the brand sticker on the car is asking for trouble as it makes it easier for the target thief get their booty easier. (much like when you have the brand of car alarm sticker on the window - it helps the crim know which procedure to use to bypass the alarm). While at this moment traffic avoidence systems aren't on everyone's GPS, in the future if everyone does then the traffic jams will just move to another location. You don't need to drive around to get tourist maps, just phone the local tourist bureau and ask for the town map to be posted to you - easy as. Also tourist maps do go down to street level cause how else would you find local accommodation or the police or local attractions. Also if you notice when you drive into towns there are brown signs indicating most things that you require. Also shops, petrol stations and most restaurants are located either on the main road or town centre so are quick and easy to find or ask the accommodation hosts when you book in. I hope you enjoy your GPS while it is in your car and I hope you don't end up parking your car in a pile of construction sand like the person did in Germany. And I hope your GPS does not take you "across country" on simple routes.

    Mark Creighton Wednesday 18 March, 2009 - 6:03 PM

  • Hi Mark,

    Like I said, I am sure there are others too who agree with you as not every 'gadget' is for everyone. Just to recap on the points you've raised - Garmin Nuvi GPS's (for example) have a PIN number system, so even if someone stole one, it would be useless without the PIN (just like car stereos) - and I have a couple of small Garmin stickers on my driver's side window and bottom of windshield to that effect. Google Map etc. are indeed brilliant and I use them myself too, but once you've left home they can be difficult to access - ditto for online Vic Roads alerts and traffic conditions can change 'at the drop of a hat' in any case. And seeing as not everyone has 'traffic avoidance' those side roads aren't that busy. Certainly better than sitting still and from repeated personal experince a real time/petrol saver. Driving around to pick up local tourist maps takes time and most won't have street names or directories. As for Bluetooth - if you use your GPS to find a restaurant, office, shop, golf course etc. their phone number will most likely be there aready, so dialling them is one button push away - as are directions - on the fly. The GPS speaker sound quality, while far from hi-fi, is also usually better than a phone earpiece cranked up to speaker level.

    Cheers, Risto

    Risto Sampola Monday 16 March, 2009 - 7:17 PM

  • Risto,
    If you want a street level map then all you have to do is either use Google maps or get a map from a local tourism agancy for free. Real-time traffic avoidence is a joke because it would move the traffic jam to another location as there is a very limited number of alternate routes these systems can use. Bluetooth connectivity for the mobile phone - why not use the phones speaker phone and auto answer feature (it does not discharge your phone as fast as bluetooth does). If you want to know about roadworks ahead you can go to VICROADS website and look up what roads are being worked on. I also plan my route beforehand and used it recently to travel through the outback and had no problems (Also asking the locals can help you find quicker routes as I found out). Yes GPS is growing in popularity particularly amongst thieves.

    Mark Creighton Monday 16 March, 2009 - 2:29 PM

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