Tech Toys: Magellan SporTrak
Pro GPS receiver
This
is another of those gadgets that you keep finding additional uses for.
To list a few:
-
Roadmaps and compass:
I love driving around and exploring the city. It's nice to have some
backup in finding where you want to go. You can also browse the maps
to look for alternate routes to avoid road construction where you encounter
it. No need to ask for directions! And it's a gadget, so what
guy would be without one of these? My GPSr has roughly 30 MB RAM,
and the entire DFW area only takes up ~5MB, so you do the math. Roadtrip,
anyone?
-
Database: It also
includes databases of local highlights. It doesn't list everything
in the city, but restaurants, parks, and other destinations are stored
along with their street addresses and phone numbers. You want to
find a Dairy Queen? Just look it up and scroll through the
listings to find the nearest location (it will tell you the exact distance
and direction).
-
Sky view: Having
GPS coordinates allows you to search the web for aerial & satellite
photos of various locations. This is great for making your own maps
based on landmarks rather than streets alone.
-
Distance calculations:
Dani and I recently used this to test the range on our walkie talkies.
You just ask it to calculate the distance to a given point as you drive.
Conversely, if you are as impatient as I am, you can always see how much
farther it is to your destination. It will even estimate an ETA!
-
Urb Ex: There are
a million and one applications of this unit in urban
exploration. An alternate version of this summary is available
on the gear page of my Urb Ex
site.
-
Geocaching: This
is a hobby that grew out of the ubiquity of these devices. It's great
exercise and you are always going places you otherwise had no reason to
visit (if that's the sort of thing that excites you). Read more about
it at geocaching.com.
Copyright
Ale[x]tronic.
