Navigation is the coolest gadget ever!
I am a gadget freak. I love toys. I am not afraid of them. I actually use them and take time to understand them. Cars these days certainly do feed the gadget hunger that burns deep inside my belly (or maybe that is a tape worm). Relatively mainstream cars can be had with high-end audio systems, trip computers with fancy information displays, bluetooth hands-free phone systems, satelite radio, adaptive xenon headlights, cooling and heating for my ass, and - my favorite - navigation systems. Some codgers out there argue that this is an overpriced solution for a $2 map. While I can read and understand a map, I cannot safely do so while driving. Besides looking cool, a nav system could be really handy for finding your way around a traffic jam or getting out of a spot when you are turned around. I would also consider it a relationship saver - without giving specific call-outs, I will say that I have had co-pilots/navigators that needed an intel-sized bump in processing throughput. I think the investment pays for itself based on arguments avoided.
While Tom Tom and Garmin make affordable aftermarket solutions, I still have to say that the integrated systems seem to be the best thought out. For one thing, I do not have to worry about taking my portable unit down of the dash everytime I park. They remove snaking wires waterfalling of the dashboard. Factory systems are typically very well integrated into other car systems such as audio and lighting. I have always thought that the Apline-based Acura systems were the best executed, followed by the Fujitsu/Denso Lexus units. That may change. Google and VW are apparantly working on a collaborative effort to integrate Google Map functionality into a navigation system. How awesome is that! Imgaine being able so see the topography in true photograph form. This is definitely something to watch and is just one more step in Google's neverending quest to rule the world and eventually imprison me in a matrix-style cocoon where my life-force will be harvested to power Google servers.
While Tom Tom and Garmin make affordable aftermarket solutions, I still have to say that the integrated systems seem to be the best thought out. For one thing, I do not have to worry about taking my portable unit down of the dash everytime I park. They remove snaking wires waterfalling of the dashboard. Factory systems are typically very well integrated into other car systems such as audio and lighting. I have always thought that the Apline-based Acura systems were the best executed, followed by the Fujitsu/Denso Lexus units. That may change. Google and VW are apparantly working on a collaborative effort to integrate Google Map functionality into a navigation system. How awesome is that! Imgaine being able so see the topography in true photograph form. This is definitely something to watch and is just one more step in Google's neverending quest to rule the world and eventually imprison me in a matrix-style cocoon where my life-force will be harvested to power Google servers.
