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| Home >> Resources | Support >> SHEX >> |
SHEX: GPSby Michael Chang (05/31/03) Copyright (c) Directron.com.We have SHEX (share experience) posts in Directron.com Help Desk Forum. We now have compiled them into this new section on Directron.com. We hope more people will write such pieces to benefit the entire PC community. Copying the contents for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited without Directron.com's written consent. However, you are welcome to distribute these computer support tips free to your friends and associates as long as it's not for commercial purposes and you acknowledge the source. You are permitted and encouraged to create links to this page from your own web site. SHEX: GPS I have had a built-in GPS for half of a year now in my car. I really love it. I believe every car will have one soon. Some peole may need it more than others, if you know what I mean. (1) Of course it helps me finding where I am going if I know the address. It gives step-by-step instructions on how and where to turn. This is especially helpful for areas that I am not familiar. (2) Stuck in traffic? How about finding an instant short-cut? Without a map, I would always be hesitant to get off roads I am familiar with. GPS tells me exactly where the short cut is. (3) Going to a party? It's relatively easy to find the party house since most likely I'll arrive when there is still sun light. Going back may be much harder for some people since it is often after dark. Since I already saved my home address, getting me back as easy as pushing a few buttons. (4) Are you sure you are taking the optimal route? The GPS will calculate it for me. Of course, not all the result is the best; but it is sure to know the alternatives. (5) Going out of town? No problem. The GPS supposed to have maps for the entire USA and Canada. The zoom in and zoom out functions are really convenient to see where you are. (6) It's cool to show off the GPS to guests and explain to them how it works. It's even cooler to hear them saying, "I want one too." A few problems: (1) The map is not always current. I'll have to buy another more current CD, I assume. (2) The onscreen keypad data entry for street names is awkward. I think the voice recognition system on some Honda models is a much better way. (3) A portable one would allow me to use it in rental cars in other cities. However, I suspect that the portable ones are more clumpsy to use due to typically a smaller screen size and less functional buttons. GPS - Global Positioning System. SHEX - SHare EXperience! Reply by websuspect I like to use Yahoo directions and write the directions down. My printer stoped working but before that I would print the directions. How do you tell the car thingy where you want to go? With the PC I just use a keyboard and goto Yahoo. An aquianaince of mine was writing a tech book and got a GPS rent acar. He said he couldnt figure out how to work the GPS, got lost and wound up asking for directions. Its helpful for driving to Job interviews. Employees rarely give good directions and Im always going somewhere unfamiliar. Obviously if you were driving to customers buisinesses and hosues this would be a good thing to have. When I worked at Computer City, we had laptop GPS and software. Where youd plug the GPS into a port and the software would locate everything for you. It was like $200. Reply by Michael Chang Hi websuspect, welcome back! In the GPS I have, there are several ways to input the destination address. One is to use an on-screen keyboard and a navigation button. You choose the letters and numbers by the keys on the screen. It's a very slow process. The second one is to enter telephone numbers. The system will pull address that's associated with that telephone number. With the area code changing almost every day, this method may not be that accurate. The third way is to look at back addresses you have saved or entered before. This is the easiest way. Once you have the address entered to the system, the GPS will calculate what's the most optimal way to go to your destination. Then, it will show a map and step-by-step directions (even verbal directions!) to guide you to the destination. With the zoom-in and zoom-out function, you can check quickly what route it chooses for you so that you can briefly memorize the route before heading to the road. The data entry part is the most awkward part of the operation. It's not very user friendly at all. I suspect that most people would not be able to figure out how to use such a system in a rental car unless by themselves. I also suspect that the mobile ones are probably more difficult to use. (But, I am the kind of guys who enjoy the process of figuring out how to operate cellular phones, VCR's, digital cameras, and other types of devices without reading the manual first. We have to admit that all such devices are designed by fellow human beings who may share some common "logic" with the rest of us.) Other than that, it's really a great, great techie tool. Yes, there is GPS hardware/software for laptops and PDAs so that you can turn these devices GPS enabled. Good luck to the interviews! Reply by Michael Chang Thanks Mike!!! I am known for taking things apart without reading instructions. I was playing with something today where you had to hold the on off button for 5 seconds to turn it on. SO of course when I pressed the button it didnt go on. So I had to read the directions. GPS Receivers And, as always, you can post a question on the Directron Help Desk! (by121504) |
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