Nuvi Newbie

Nuvi is groovy -- Picture courtesy of Garmin

by blogSpotter
OK, at one blog entry a week, I’m still running a little behind. I dealt with family issues last month; this month I’ve been wrestling with a job transition and a bathroom remodel. I guess that God thought my life was too boring so He gave me seven things to deal with at once. I hope to be catching up before too long.

NUVI

Gadget nut that I am, you might be amazed that I’ve gone this far without buying a GPS navigation device. I could drive a cab in Dallas, I know the streets so well. Usually when I’m in another city I’m with friends who’ve already mapped out the metro and planned the whole itinerary. Thus, why spend $300 for a trinket I’ll use only once? Well circumstances have changed…

I have to go to Lexington, MA this week for a class. It’s a suburb 13 miles west of Boston and I’ll be in a rental car. It’s a golden opportunity for me to get completely lost. Shopping at Sam’s this weekend, I saw where a NUVI 250 could be had for only $115 (plus tax). Okay, here is the chance for me to play with a new toy. I bought one -- had it mounted in my car and working within 30 minutes.

Now here is what I have to say about Mr. Nuvi. Overall, it’s really a great convenience and it will help in Boston. But I have a few quibbles and observations. I wouldn’t be a proper nitpick if I didn’t…

Red Sea Routes -- When you try to turn left onto a busy avenue in rush hour traffic, I call it a “Red Sea” turn. You need traffic to stop for you in both directions in order to pull out. Not likely without lots of Christian traffic charity. It’s like parting the Red Sea. Nuvi must think I’m Moses, because the test Dallas routes I entered had me turning left onto busy streets -- where there is no traffic light. Nuvi, I want controlled intersections, especially for left turns.

Crummy roads -- On my test Dallas route, Nuvi had me going on two-lane streets (Mockingbird) and other streets that for me are sub-optimal. I’m fairly picky about the quality of roads I take and Nuvi seems to be ignorant of things like pot holes, bad ‘hoods, one lane roads and such. You can build in “via” stops and that becomes pretty essential to avoid going where you don’t want to go.

Voice in the car -- A couple of times I completely forgot I was using Nuvi. On a long segment, it goes silent. Then the woman’s generic sounding voice suddenly says, “Turn right in 200 feet”. I nearly had a heart attack and wrecked my car the 1st couple of times this happened. Who the hell has stowed away in my car?? At some point, especially when you’ve opted to go a different way than Nuvi suggests, the woman’s voice will keep “recomputing…”. At that point you just want to say, “Beyotch, shut up!” They need to add that feature.

Another feature (I swear someone said it’s available) is to specify a voice (maybe Rodney Dangerfield or Jerry Seinfeld) to make humorous remarks, especially if you miss a turn. At the very least, Nuvi could call you a boob or a knucklehead. The nasty asides might wake you up and make you pay close attention…

CONCLUSION

This is a truly cool device -- think it could be a life saver in a strange city. Even if it gives you a bum suggestion on a particular street or turn, it puts you in the neighborhood and you can turn it all around if you know basically where you are. As a Nuvi newbie I can tell I have a lot to learn -- what are the extras, what maps are available? I may have more to report after next week, when I’ve received my Boston education.

© 2009 blogSpotter