A GPS for My Truck? No Thanks!
Published at 10:04 on 15 September 2015
I actually had a chance to try one out, for free. I’m not impressed.
First, it’s far more distracting than a map. The display animates to show your progress. This grabs my peripheral vision and distracts me from what’s going on outside. That’s more than just annoying: it’s unsafe. There’s no escape from the above drawback: the thing has to be mounted on the dash in order to “see” the satellites. If I put it on the seat so it doesn’t distract me, then I have to wait several minutes for it to locate itself every time I check my position. By contrast, a old-fashioned paper map stays out of the way when I don’t need it yet is there, instantly, whenever I wish to consult it.
Second, it shows only a tiny part of any map. It’s very difficult to get any overall idea of the layout of where I am by zooming out (lose detail) or panning (lose context). A big, old-fashioned map is much better in this regard.
Third, it’s expensive. I just bought a comprehensive street map of Kitsap County for $6. So far as addresses go, the phone company sends me a countywide phone book every year for free. Since I don’t need it at home (where I can use the Internet), I put it in my truck. Any decent GPS will cost about 15 times that much. Plus in a few years, the maps and address data inside the GPS will need updating. That costs $50 or $60, i.e. fully 10 times what acquiring a new map and phone book does.
Fourth, it’s limited. It shows but a subset of businesses and business categories. Compared to the phone book, it sucks. It also shows a very limited subset of points of interest like parks, lakes, etc. Compared to the index on my old-fashioned map, it sucks.
If I did more long-distance road trips, I could see such a thing having some utility despite its drawbacks, because it’s impractical to keep a detailed map for every last town you’re going through with you (and to acquire same in advance). But I don’t — so it doesn’t.