On 2/23/2012 10:33 AM, Robert Green wrote:
wrote in message
...

stuff snipped

You don't know what you're missing. If you have to use maps, flashlight
to read street signs, etc. the gps will take their use away.
You'd be surprised how easy they are to learn and to use.

I just gave an old hand held and and old car gps to my brother-in-law
and he loves them and they are nowhere as nice as my new ones.

I just got one for my son's birthday as he's been in the habit of
calling us when he's lost when driving, wanting us to get on the
computer for directions.

I just read a study that said that GPS use was affecting people's ability to
form cognitive maps. It turns out that planning your route on a map has
some benefit for your brain. I always Google and print out maps when I can,
just in case. Last year, my "Maylong" GPS took me to the middle of a
cornfield instead of my doctor's new office. Since then, I haven't been
willing to trust it completely. It does manage to nag the heck out of me
for speeding. If only I could train it to bother me about speeding only
when I am 10mph or more over. All that said, I own two (a worthless Sanyo
that has the most unfriendly user interface ever put into a GPS) and the
much cheaper, much smaller and far easier to use Maylong unit. Even plays
videos (WMV's only!) and MP3's.

--
Bobby G.



I saw that too.

I seldom use the gps but when I do, check maps, and print out Google maps.

A few months ago I was invited to celebrate an old friends renewing
wedding vows at a small church down state and using wife's gps could not
get there because a bridge was out. Following the detour the gps tried
to keep turning us back so I shut it off. Like anything, it is not a
panacea.

I did get a new one with lifetime maps and traffic which should improve
this. Think my wife wants our son to not want the gps so she can give
him cash instead and keep it for herself to replace hers.

Hunting, I use my Etrex all the time. I mark where I park my car and
where I take a stand. Makes it near impossible to get lost but I still
have my compass.

One of my sons has a gps built into his Mercedes with all the bells and
whistles like Blue Tooth and voice recognition. He only need talk to it
for it to give him directions. It failed under warranty and he was told
if he did not have the warranty, it would have cost $3,000 to repair.