Let's admit it: I'm directionally challenged. I have a hard time visualizing how one place connects to the other. I don't recall route directions well. To this day, if someone shouts, "Turn left!" I instinctively turn right. (A good thing to know, by the way, if you're riding with me in an emergency situation.)
Last week, when I attended AWP in Austin, TX, I rented my first rental car with an onboard GPS unit: the Garmin c340. Aside from one clunky and unhappy experiment with a laptop-based GPS solution five years ago, I had never used a GPS to navigate unfamiliar country. Since I knew nothing about Austin at all, I was curious to see how having a GPS unit in the car would impact my ability to find my way around.
In a sentence: having the Garmin c340 in the car changes the entire driving experience.
Once in the rental car, I tapped in my hotel's name. Right away, my estimated time of arrival popped onto the screen, along with an easy-to-read map and a graphic representing my car. Seconds later, the unit began giving me visual and verbal directions: "In one hundred yards, turn left onto President Street."
I don't usually read maps well, so the Garmin's map intrigued me. It's tilted toward the horizon, giving the entire map a 3D effect and making it possible for the driver to see what's coming (including turns and ramps) before dealing with it. With a glance, I could see exactly where I was going and how to get there.
So the maps were great ... but you may find yourself looking at them less and less, since the verbal instructions are so detailed and easy to follow. Unlike the c320 or c330, the c340 actually pronounces street names, allowing the unit to say, "Take Interstate 35 to the Gardner Road Exit, then bear right onto Dunhill Road."
Because the unit knows exactly where you are at all times, it's easy for the GPS to give you a reminder right before you're supposed to make the turn.
I actually missed one such turn on the way to the hotel; within seconds, the c340 noticed, told me it was "recalculating," and provided me with step-by-step directions to get me back on track. Even with the wrong turn, I made it to the hotel in record time ... with zero stress.
The next day, the GPS took me directly to the Austin Conference center. From there, I told it to take me to the Austin Apple Store. I had no idea where the store was or how far away it might be ... but the GPS unit found the address, computed a route, and took me right to it. Before long, I was navigating the city with all the confidence of a local, finding the art cinema, a good Chinese restaurant ... all with just a few taps on the screen.
Clyde and I travel to unfamiliar cities -- and drive in them -- often. This always entails a lot of printing of maps, tapping at PDA screens, backtracking, and cries of "No, turn there!" A c340 in the car could put an end to all that, allowing us to "tap and go" anywhere in the U.S. What's more, because the unit is entirely portable -- it works without having to install one of those bubble antennas on the top of the car -- we can easily carry it with us, no matter where we go.
Garmin makes a c500 series now with more features for about $200 more, including hands-free bluetooth phone compatibility, the ability to upload pictures and MP3 music files to the unit, and more ... but I don't need or want these. For me, the magic of a GPS is its uncanny ability to tell me where I am and where I'm going.
I've never felt more confident in a car!
"Garmin Streetpilot C340 Portable GPS Navigation System, Traffic Ready" (Garmin)
