GPS for car

What to look for when buying a GPS for car

"If only," we say to ourselves, "there was a way to find routes that were free of congestion." Sure, we've heard all about your fancy real-time traffic updates -- but how well do they actually work? According to a study by the GIS data and services company NAVTEQ (so, you know, take it with a grain of salt), drivers that use GPS systems with real-time traffic info spend 18% less time behind the wheel than those who do not (that's a whopping four days over the course of a single year, or enough time to watch 1 1/2 Peter Watkins films). In addition, the company says that smarter navigation has been shown to lower CO2 output by 21 percent -- which is a good deal, no matter how you slice it.



What GPS features should I look for?

Display
Select a GPS model with a good color screen that can be read in all lighting conditions. The larger the screen, the more expensive the unit will be, but even big screens can be difficult to read in direct sunlight. Also, check the viewing performance of the display to make sure you can read it from any angle.

Maps

Look for a model that includes street-level maps. Some manufacturers charge extra to unlock maps from their Web sites or CDs, while others include only partial regions. This can get expensive if you're planning a cross-country trip. Make sure you can update the unit's firmware and mapping data. On most portable models, a USB or serial port lets you connect the system to a PC, where you can upload the latest maps and system software as it becomes available. On in-dash models, maps are typically read from an integrated DVD or CD player and only require the latest discs to be brought up to date.

Form factor

Choose a GPS unit to fit your traveling habits. If you do a lot of long distance driving, consider a model with a dedicated hard drive that stores maps of the entire country. Otherwise, a model that uses an SD card to store maps is a good bet, and you can buy additional cards to load more maps when necessary.

If you want to share one unit between many vehicles, look for a model that is lightweight and is easy to install and remove from your vehicle. Stay away from permanent mounting devices unless you plan to use the unit in just one vehicle.

If you decide on an in-dash model, pay the extra money to have it professionally installed. Unlike car stereo systems, which can be fairly easy to install, a GPS system requires careful placement of the antenna, and some systems require a special cable hookup to your vehicle's speedometer mechanism.

Navigation features

Like anything else, the more bells and whistles included in your GPS system, the more you'll end up paying, but there are certain features that are more or less standard equipment these days. Street-level maps with voice- and text-prompted driving directions are the foundation of any in-car GPS system worth it's salt, and we're starting to see more and more systems that use text-to-speech technology to deliver specific street names rather than more generic instructions, such as "Turn right in 0.5 miles." A comprehensive POI database containing airports, hospitals, dining, shopping, service stations and more, is a must if you're traveling in unfamiliar territory, as is automatic routing from a POI, an address book, or your present location. Look for a device with touch screen controls, automatic rerouting when you veer off course, and variable map views, such as 3-D and bird's eye views. As you get into the high-end models, look for advanced lane guidance, voice commands, and real-time traffic and weather alerts, which usually require an annual subscription fee.

Accessories

Most in-car navigation systems are ready to use right out of the box and come with everything you need to get up and running in a matter of minutes. Still, there are accessories available that will help you get the most out of your investment, including auxiliary antennas that can be mounted at the base of your windshield to improve signal reception, and carry cases to protect your GPS unit when not in use. You can also pick up various mounting devices, including motorcycle mounting kits and low profile external antenna mounts that adhere to the trunk of your car. You can also purchase additional maps on CD media or flash memory cards, as well as AC adapters that let you use your GPS unit at home.

excerpt from CNet Review...

The Next Digital Media Player, MP5

Cool gadget - MP5

Well, we have heard a lot of about different versions of portable digital media players such as iPods (from Apple), mp3 players and mp4 players. But, what is mp5 player? If you visit different forums on the Internet, you would find people doubting the very existence of mp5 player gadgets.

Many feel a business gimmick targeted at hoodwinking the gullible consumers into buying the same old portable music players with no additional advanced features. Some would discourage you to believe in such things as mp5 player. However, you would be surprised to find the number of advantage you can get if you switch from your mp3 or mp4 players to an mp5 player.

Mp5 players are essentially an advanced version of portable digital media player that do more than just playing music files. With the phenomenal shift in the portable multimedia technology every year, it has become extremely essential for you to keep updating your portable digital music player in order to synchronize itself with the latest technology. The new mp5 technology has been developed taking the technological transformation into consideration. For instance, could your existing mp3 or mp4 player take advantage of a Bluetooth or Wi-fi technology revolution of tomorrow?

Arguably, mp5 players easily surpass the drawbacks of their earlier avatars by incorporating newer and more advanced technology into them. Let us take a couple of benefits you stand to get if you switch from your mp3 or mp4 player to the all new mp5 player today.

Additional Features of mp5 players:

Built-in DV Camera:

Mp5 players have a built-in DV camera in them that lets you record videos. It definitely means you can expand the memory of your mp5 player which is not possible ether with an mp3 or mp4 player. What is more, mp5 players support a wide range of media formats offering you great options.

Transcoding Movies:

This is one of the best features offered to you by a mp5 player. Earlier, you could only play video formats that your mp3 or mp4 player would allow you to. But, in mp5 player, you can transcode movies into RealMedia`s RM and RMVB format video from movie or video websites to your mp5 player. This enables you to carry your favorite movies along with you no matter wherever you go.

Expandable Memory:

Nothing disappoints you worse than finding your mp3 or mp4 player give up when you want to store more songs or videos in it. Mp5 players, on the contrary, allow you to expand the memory so that you can store as much information as you like. With the facilities like built-in SD and MMC card slots, you can expand the memory capacity of your mp5 player as and when you like.

Better TFT Display Screen:

You are likely to be dissatisfied with the disability of your mp4 players to play high resolution videos. Mp5 players have a 2.4 inch Vivid color TFT display screen offering you an amazing viewing experience. Hence, now you can say good bye to the painful memories when you had to bear with the low resolution videos on your portable media device.

Accommodate and Expand:

Nothing can delight you better than this. The mp5 players have features that enable you to accommodate and expand as per you own accord. As a result, you can synchronize your portable media player with the more advanced technological features to avail the functions such as GPS (Global Positioning System), Wi-fi, Blue-tooth, DVB-T and other functions according to their specifications and requirements.

The above advantages of an mp5 player would surely encourage the techno-junkies to invest in mp5 players to experience the magic of the brand-new revolution in the world of portable multimedia devices.

Excerpt from article by Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for Polomercantil

The usefulness of Swiss Army Knife

Facts about the Swiss Army Knife

The Swiss Army Knife is produced by two Swiss companies, Victorinox and Wenger, and dates back to about 1891. 19th century Switzerland was one of the poorest countries in Europe, and yet the knife has survived to become synonymous with the excellence of modern Swiss craftsmanship.

One of the reasons for the lightness and elegance of the Swiss Army Knife is that it makes multiple use of each spring - typically six blades on only two springs. The knife's cutting blades are made from a special blade steel with a Rockwell C (unit of hardness) of 56. The saws, scissors, and files have a hardness of RC 53, tin openers and reamers have RC 52, and corkscrews and springs have RC 49. The internal separating strips are made from aluminium alloy (to make them light), and the rivets and bushings are made of brass.

The springs press on the various tools with different degrees of force. The large and small blades are pressed into place with a force of 12 kg and 8 kg respectively. The total force of 20 kg presses on the corkscrew. With 2 springs and 6 pressure points the total spring pressure is 70 kg - apparently it's all a matter of leverage ratios and axes. The open screwdriver is under even more spring pressure, with its facing edge behind the knife's axis to prevent it from snapping shut when in heavy use. These high spring pressures remain the same after many years of use, as evidenced by the loudness of the clicking sound each time a tool is opened or closed.

Contrary to popular belief, officers in the Swiss army don't receive the model with the red plastic handle. All members of the army are given the standard issue in anodized aluminium at the start of their military career, and keep it when advancing through the ranks. Incidentally, all able-bodied Swiss males aged between 20 and 30 must serve in the army for 260 days, and most are subsequently assigned to civil protection duties until the age of 37.

Ionize for better air

Need a fresh and healty air

An air ionizer is a relatively new device that is intended to purify the air. As its name implies, instead of using fans and filters, an air ionizer creates ions which remove microscopic particles from the air. Rooms are healthier for those suffering from asthma, allergies, impaired immunity, or respiratory ailments, without as many allergens circulating in the lungs.

Air ionizers rely on the chemical properties of particles. An ion is just a particle that is charged, either negatively or positively. This commercial device, a tabletop or stand alone unit, creates negative ions using electricity. The ions flood the room and seek out positively charged particles, such as dust, dander, bacteria, pollen, mold, smoke, chemical vapors, and many other allergens. Once bonded (remember, opposites attract), the particles are too heavy to float around where they can easily be inhaled. As a result, the harmful airborne particles become larger pieces of dirt on the ground where they can be cleaned by normal means.

Most particles near the ground, are positively charged. Natural phenomenon, like lightening or waterfalls, generate negative ions and ozone. This is the "fresh" smell you might encounter in an electrical storm or white rapids. Ozone is a naturally occurring gas related to oxygen. Our buildings' insulation interferes with atmospheric air circulation, so an air ionizer seeks to compensate for this disequilibrium.

Often outdoor pollutants get a lot of attention. We do not want car exhaust or factory emissions to cause health hazards. But indoor air pollution remains a serious problem. Dust and mold collects inside heating and air conditioning ducts. Higher humidity inside allows bacteria to thrive. An air ionizer addresses these home and office sources of pollution and odor. The ozone that is created when negative ions are generated, battles pollution by breaking it down into smaller, harmless components. Ozone makes it more difficult for germs to grow, and deodorizes as well.

Ionizers conserve power and run silently, unlike fan-driven air purifiers. Another advantage over other purifiers is that no parts need regular replacement, because there are no physical filters. Even though most air ionizers don't have a motorized fan, the ionization creates a faint breeze that helps to distribute the ions throughout a room. Some are also outfitted with screens or prongs that catch the particles of dust as they fall to the ground.

GPS gadget anyone...

Some tips on choosing your GPS

If you are in the market for a GPS you have a lot of makes and models to choose from. This article shares with you the process I went through to make my purchase.

Step 1. Why Do You Want A GPS?

Each GPS has its strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, there are no perfect units available, yet. To find one that meets your needs the best you need to know what you want out of it. If you have never owned a GPS then this can be difficult as until you have one you may not know all of the things you will do with it.

Here is what I wanted out of my GPS:

* before starting a hike on a new trail, download key waypoints to the GPS. Use this waypoints to plan routes. While hiking use the route to estimate distance & travel time and to act as a backup to my topo map for navigation.
* create a record of hikes and backpacking trips I've done; use this data as a guide on subsequent hikes on the same path. This data also gets published on this web site.
* measure distance travelled and velocity when out walking, jogging or rollerblading for exercise. Use this data to maintain a desired pace while exercising.
* plan driving routes for longer trips; use this data while driving both as a map replacement and as trip computer (distance remaining, time to destination, etc.)

Your list may include other tasks, such as geocaching, fishing, and turn-by-turn driving directions.

Based on my list my GPS had to be:

* small enough to not be a burden while hiking, rollerblading, walking, and jogging
* rugged and waterproof to survive being roughed up outdoors
* have good software support for route planning and waypoint/route/track management

The need to be small, rugged, and waterproof ruled out, for example, GPS add-ons that mate with my Palm, such as Magellan's GPS Companion series.

Step 2. Research

The next step was to get as much information as possible on the units available. I also tried to get a sneak peek at what was coming down the pipeline. I concentrated on units from Garmin and Magellan as these units are widely available and also have an excellent level of support in after market GPS software products.

The following sites are good places to start any GPS research:
* Garmin web site
* Magellan web site
* Software reviews on Joe Mehaffey and Jack Yeazel's GPS Information web site. This site is butt ugly but does have a good collection of articles, hardware, and software reviews for a large variety of GPS units. Keep in mind that their opinions tend to creep in when facts would be more desireable. Also, what they find to be important may not be important to you.
* the GPS newsgroup, sci.geo.satellite-nav
* Garmin eTrex Yahoo Group
* Magellan Meridian Yahoo Group

When comparing specifications, reviews, and user comments I also checked the support pages of manufacturer's web sites for details of software patches that have been released. Often, shortcomings in a unit's functionality are addressed with a software upgrade. Additionally, I downloaded and read the user manuals of each candidate GPS. This manuals are also posted on the manufacturer's web site, ususally in .pdf format. Note that the manuals are usually not updated to reflect changes made through software updates.

Step 3. Make A Decision Then Make Your Purchase

After you complete your research its time to buy. If you live in Canada, my list of online Canadian retailers is a good place to begin shopping. Remember that price isn't everything: spending a bit extra for good service can pay off in the long run.

As I mentioned at the top of this article, I purchased the Garmin eTrex Vista. Why did I buy the Vista?

* I like the Garmin form factor. Its small size means that you'll hardly notice it when hiking or backpacking.
* The crisp screen shows lots of detail.
* The software allows you to save up to 10 tracks, then use its trackback feature to play back a track from start to end or end to start.
* 24MB of memory means it can hold a lot of map detail, more than what I need.
* While both Garmin's and Magellan's maps suck, the research indicated that Garmin's suck less.
* I like its user interface. The click stick is easy and fast to use.

Aside from these technical details, the store that I purchased from, RadioWorld, also happened to be having a storewide sale that made the Vista very attractive financially.

The Vista is certainly not a perfect unit. Here's what don't I like about the Vista:

* its antenna is not as good as the ones found in Garmin's GPS76 series or Magellan's Meridian/SportTrak line. If you are under heavy tree cover you will loose satellite reception. This is the biggest problem with the entire eTrex line and for many people it rules out its purchase. However, the way I look at it I would have the same problem with a GPS76 or Meridian as their size meant that they might be left behind while travelling.
* Saved tracks are compressed to 250 points, loosing some detail, although this has not been a big problem for me. I mention this because the Meridian line can now save a virtually unlimited number of tracks to SD cards. However, using that data saved by the Meridian is another story.
* lack of external antenna connection
* the small but detailed screen can sometimes be hard to read, especially while driving
* memory expansion capability would be nice, such as the SD card expandability of the Meridian
* Garmin's maps are expensive
* USB connection would make map download faster

I'm confident that I'll get my money's worth before the next new & improved GPS is released.

Step 4. Accessorize

Once you purchase your GPS, to get the most use of it you also need to get some software for your computer to manage waypoints, routes, and tracks. The software that comes with your GPS (e.g. Garmin's MapSource) is barely sufficient when compared to other products.

Tracks are the "breadcrumb" trail created while your GPS is turned on. It marks where you have been and can guide you back to your starting point. Waypoints are markers of a specific place; a route is an ordered list of waypoints. Since your GPS has limited amount of memory you'll find it handy to move this data to and from your computer. You'll also be able to download to your GPS waypoints found on the internet as well as routes created using internet mapping services.

The software I use to manage GPS data is ExpertGPS. ExpertGPS is the senior member of a family that also includes Panterra and the freeware EasyGPS. The .gpx files I include on this site are compatible with all 3 products, and may work with other GPS software as well.

ExpertGPS includes the very cool capability of projecting your GPS tracks onto a satellite photograph.

Definition and history of gadget

Some background on Gadget

The origins of the word "gadget" trace back to the 19th century. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, there is anecdotal evidence for the use of "gadget" as a placeholder name for a technical item whose precise name one can't remember since the 1850s; with Robert Brown's 1886 book Spunyarn and Spindrift, A sailor boy’s log of a voyage out and home in a China tea-clipper containing the earliest known usage in print.[2] The etymology of the word is disputed. A widely circulated story holds that the word gadget was "invented" when Gaget, Gauthier & Cie, the company behind the repoussé construction of the Statue of Liberty (1886), made a small-scale version of the monument and named it after their firm; however this contradicts the evidence that the word was already used before in nautical circles, and the fact that it did not become popular, at least in the USA, until after World War I.[2] Other sources cite a derivation from the French gâchette which has been applied to various pieces of a firing mechanism, or the French gagée, a small tool or accessory.[2] The spring-clip used to hold the base of a vessel during glass-making is also known as a gadget.[citation needed] The first atomic bomb was nicknamed the gadget by the scientists of the Manhattan Project, tested at the Trinity site.

In the book "Above the Clouds" by Vivian Drake, published in 1918 by D. Appleton & Co., of New York and London, being the memoirs of a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps, there is the following passage: "Our ennui was occasionally relieved by new gadgets -- "gadget" is the Flying Corps slang for invention! Some gadgets were good, some comic and some extraordinary."

Categories on Gadget:

Mechanical gadgets

Clocks, bicycles, and thermometers are amongst the very large number of gadgets that are mechanical and also very popular. The invention of mechanical gadgets though is based more on innovation from the inventor rather than his education.[citation needed]

Electronic gadgets

Electronic gadgets are based on transistors and integrated circuits. Unlike the mechanical gadgets one needs a source of electric power to use it. The most common electronic gadgets include transistor radio, television, cell phones and the quartz watch.

Programmable gadgets

Most of the modern gadgets belong to this category.

Application gadgets

Computer programs that provide services without needing an independent application to be launched for each one, but instead run in an environment that manages multiple gadgets. There are several implementations based on existing software development techniques, like JavaScript, form input, and various image formats.

See: Google Gadgets, Microsoft Gadgets, Apple Widgets

The earliest[citation needed] documented use of the term gadget in context of software engineering was in 1985 by the developers of AmigaOS, the operating system of the Amiga computers (intuition.library and also later gadtools.library). It denotes what other technological traditions call GUI widget—a control element in graphical user interface. This naming convention remains in continuing use (as of 2008) since then.

It is not known whether other software companies are explicitly drawing on that inspiration when featuring the word in names of their technologies or simply referring to the generic meaning. The word widget is older in this context.