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GPS: Use it (or get lost)

Posted on 30 Jun 2004 at 14:26

GPS can be a great training aid for athletes too. For running or jogging, Garmin's Forerunner or Timex's Ironman GPS watch will keep track of your performance and provide you with pace cues based on your current speed. The Timex has a separate GPS receiver unit that straps to your upper arm and communicates with the watch via a wireless link, whereas the Garmin Forerunner series (there are currently two models, the 101 and 201) includes all-in-one units that simply strap to your wrist.

Cyclists can get all these benefits too; the eTrex and Geko series GPS units having an optional handlebar mount. For long tours, the battery life of 8-12 hours is a disadvantage compared to standard cycle computers that last several years on a single lithium button cell. But a standard bike computer can only tell you how far you've been and how fast. A GPS device can do this - and do it more accurately - as well as navigate for you, plus there's no messing around attaching wheel sensors and magnets to the bike: just pop it on the handlebars and off you go.

Conclusion
PDAs remain the simplest way for many people to start using GPS, and this market has very much come of age. It's inexpensive to buy and relatively easy to set up, and from our experience reliable enough for everyday operation. The majority of devices, however, are still essentially non-connected - they work with static map data. Even more exciting possibilities are around the corner, such as when the maps become dynamically connected to roadwork and traffic information.

We're already seeing the first steps in this direction with the Wayfinder service, and the LiveWire demo included with HP's latest iPAQ Navigation System 3, which downloads traffic data via GPRS. CoPilot Live, on the other hand, integrates messaging into the GPS navigation application, so you can receive text messages on the PDA from a desktop PC, for example, with a change of address. But even without these futuristic add-ons, GPS navigation with your PDA will mean you need never be lost again.

Author: James Morris and David Fearon