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Are Sat-Nav Systems Becoming Information Overload?

Posted by Soulskill on from the pothole-under-right-wheel-in-forty-two-centimeters dept.

curtS writes "The Economist's tech editor reviews the ever-more-detailed assistance of mobile GPS devices, and wonders if the attention-sucking visual complexity isn't more trouble than it's worth. He contrasts the simplicity of London's Underground map (not directionally accurate but visually easy to understand) and his own habit of dimming the display and using the audio commands for guidance."

38 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. .no by Dance_Dance_Karnov · · Score: 2, Funny

    no more than a map I suppose

    1. Re:.no by Runaway1956 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I would argue that. Rand McNally road atlases were my constant companion for years. It's hard to recall how my internal mapping and/or memory of Rand McNally evolved in the first couple years - but today, I can navigate anywhere on the North American continent (minus Mexico) without a map. I can leave my house, and go to any major city without referencing a map at all. Some small town, I don't know of? Ten minutes with that atlas, and I can drive to it without looking again. To find an address, I'll check the map just short of the city.

      Those GPS things? Personally, I don't like them - they want to hold your hand all the way across the continent. Every turn, every fuel stop, every restaurant. When I travel, I want to make the decisions, not have MapQuest, or anyone else decide which ramp to exit or enter the interstate on. Travel is supposed to be an adventure - let me decide when, where, and how.

      For fun, I've gone off route many times, just to see new country. I've seen mountains, valleys, and rivers that few Americans ever thought about seeing, because I took the less beaten path, down country roads. And, food. Fast Food Americana just sucks. I went north into Tennessee one early one morning, topped a small mountain, and found a hole in the wall restaurant. I got a real southern breakfast, for half the price of any chain restaurant, and 45 minutes of chat from some old dude who looked like he might have served in the Civil War. (He might even have been the truck driver who delivered dirt for the day of creation!)

      GPS is distracting as all hell when you do make a "wrong turn". Rand McNally just sits on the seat until I ASK for his advice.

      Of course, I'll admit - mapreading was pretty much a lost art before GPS technology came out. You can stop in any truck stop in America, and find that 2/3 of the drivers can't read Rand McNally, or any other version of a printed map. Instead, they rely on that GPS computer, the cell phone, and pure dumb luck. The other 1/3? A lot of them are like me - they've crisscrossed the country so many times, they don't NEED no stinking map most of the time!! Those last 10 or 20 miles going to a new stop is all they need any help with, and often times they can get that from the CB radio!

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    2. Re:.no by FrigBot · · Score: 5, Interesting

      In May and June this year, I went to Germany and Holland with my father. We rented an Audi with a GPS built in. It was a gift from the gods of navigation. Without it we would have been totally inept, and neither of us had used one before. I generally ran the nav system while he drove (because I picked up the fine points of the system quicker than he did).

      One day, in Germany on the Autobahn (can't remember exactly where right now but I do have notes on it) there was a huge traffic jam. I had no idea that traffic there gets like that. But everything was backed up. People shut off their cars and got out to chat. Nobody was moving, in either direction. Remember this is the Autobahn.

      Anyway, two notable things happened. We decided to follow a small group of cars that were driving on the shoulder and trying to find a way out. This was probably illegal, but whatever. After getting off the main highway, we wound up alone somewhere. Check the GPS, we found exactly where we were (with the traffic lady letting us know that noone was moving) and it was one a dirt road. I zoomed in on the map, found the next nearest hamlet and we navigated there. Then I did that again and again, and we drove through about a dozen tiny villages. It was amazing. We saw old buildings that no tourist ever sees, and some had scars in them, maybe from WW2. Got to see a lot of neat things.

      Later, back on the main highway, we were stopped at a light or something and the kid in the car behind us jumped out, came to my window and asked for directions to some town he was trying to reach. I used the gps and gave him what he needed. That was cool too.

      GPS is not distracting. I found it very helpful. Witout it we never would have seen those off-the-beaten path villages.

    3. Re:.no by not-my-real-name · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'll see your European anecdote and raise you one. In 2005 I spent 4 weeks driving around Europe with my wife and parents. We had no GPS, but plenty of maps. We were able to find our way into and out of all sorts of out of the way places. The only trouble was trying to meet one cousin where we were waiting on one side of the freeway and he was waiting on the other side.

      Now, I've always been good with maps, have a good sense of direction, and a good spacial sense. Not everyone is good with maps or navigating.

      On the other hand, often people get their trips too structured. Having a little less structure, a willingness to improvise, and a sense of adventure can result in a really memorable trip.

      In your case, the GPS gave you the confidence to get off the beaten path. However if you were just blindly following its directions, you might still be sitting on the autobahn.

      --
      un-ALTERED reproduction and dissimination of this IMPORTANT information is ENCOURAGED
    4. Re:.no by dov_0 · · Score: 2, Funny

      I find maps far less distracting, far less annoying and generally far more useful. Personally, I never really trust anything with a womans voice that gives directions...

      --
      sudo mount --milk --sugar /cup/tea /mouth /etc/init.d/relax start
    5. Re:.no by PitaBred · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "However if you were just blindly following its directions, you might still be sitting on the autobahn."

      And if you're that kind of person, it doesn't matter what kind of map you're following. GPS is nice because it knows where you are. Maps, you have to figure that out. Admittedly, it's not hard and should be a skill you have, but why do all your division longhand if you have a calculator?

      --
      My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
    6. Re:.no by Runaway1956 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      As not_my_name says - you seem to fit into a special group. Far to many people RELY on that GPS to tell them everything. Maybe if I were a bit younger - or, maybe if I were navigating Europe instead of North America - I might make similar use of GPS as you did. Or not. I might have the GPS in the car, but an atlas would still be spread across the passenger seat. Among other things, I want to "feel" how far away it is to the Italian border, or the Russian border, or the English Channel. That big map of Europe, showing all the countries, rivers, lakes, and mountain ranges would be visible all the time, just as it was for North America in my early years of navigating. That "big picture" is necessary for me to fill in all the finer details, mentally. And, most people who rely on that GPS never get that "big picture", IMHO.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    7. Re:.no by adolf · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I like maps, too. I like to look at them, I like to connect the dots. I like the little bits of random knowledge that I pick up in doing so. My Dad taught me how to read a map before I even learned how to read English.

      But I hate using maps when driving. In the car, I find them cumbersome, verbose, generally annoying, and difficult to remember.

      To top it all off, I get lost very easily, for whatever reason. Back in the day, I used to even get lost at school. (Hey, we've all got problems.)

      So, I use GPS. When it's important to be timely (I often travel for work), it gets me there with reasonable efficiency, and I don't get lost. The constant hand-holding is actually useful and welcome, for me, sometimes. (Before GPS was commonly available, I once missed a turn, and ended up taking a 100-mile detour. My co-worker was calling on the 2-way radio asking me where I was, and I didn't know I was fucked until I noticed his voice was all distant and static-y. Those radios had range of 30 or 40 miles on this terrain.)

      But, on my own time, I like traveling for fun. I don't always take the Interstate even when it's faster, and I really enjoy finding new things in my travels. I'm not afraid of wandering around on dirt roads all afternoon. But, I still use GPS.

      I think there's a couple of things about GPS navigation that you don't understand:

      1. It can be told to shut up. Then, you can drive wherever you want, however you want. See something over there, a little bit off your path? Go there. Want to stop off at a small town that the highway avoids? Goferit. And when you get tired of doing that, or it starts getting dark out (boring, usually) it'll get you back on track.

      2. It will go wherever you want it to. You don't like the directions? Ignore them. Mute them. Drive where you feel like. You don't like this exit? Skip it. It'll adjust quickly, and when (and if) you want help, just give the screen a look and it'll give you a reasonable next step.

      3. When driving for fun, you can just -go-. Forget the maps, forget about destinations, forget GPS. Spend a day or so just seeing what there is to see. It's cheaper than a movie, and for me, one of my favorite ways to kill a Sunday. Eventually, though, it becomes time to head home: The dog needs fed, the wife wants chocolate, or some such thing. Push a couple of buttons, though, and all of the random adventure is gone -- it gets you over to a major road in a hurry, and you're headed back. Of course, you're still free to tell it to shut the hell up (see 1, above) or correct it (2), if its directions aren't jiving right with your mojo at that instant.

      GPS units don't compute a static path from A to B. They compute a dynamic path from wherever you're currently at, to whatever your destination is. Most of them can come in very handy as a local directory, as well: Sometimes, you NEED some coolant for the engine. You might NEED a tire. Or NEED a hospital. Or, at your advanced age, you might NEED a bathroom. It'll get you to those places even if you have no clue at all where you're at except "Somewhere on C, between A and B."

      --
      Kid-proof tablet..
    8. Re:.no by Techman83 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      GPS for me came in handy in a recent 4x4 adventure, we had been using paper maps and just following our noses along the track until my Fiancé required urgent medical attention, now I didn't have one, but one of the other guys that was with us did, so whilst I was calling for an Ambulance, he was calling through our current location and best meeting point for the Ambulance over the 2 way. It was rather comforting that we didn't need to stop and work out where exactly we were or where we needed to be (we were familiar with the area, but the bush looks quite the same for quite some distance, so it's quite hard to narrow things down to more than +/- 10k's)

      --
      # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i cat
      Damn, my RAM is full of cats. MEOW!!
  2. If you can't ignore the GPS by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Then you probably shouldn't be driving. Take the bus.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    1. Re:If you can't ignore the GPS by BeardedChimp · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Reminds me of this.
      "Since a road closure, dozens of drivers have blithely followed directions from their satellite navigation systems, not realising that the recommended route goes through the ford.
      Normally the water — the start of the River Avon — is about 2ft deep but it can swiftly double in depth after heavy rain.
      Every day since the main B4040 was closed after a wall collapsed on April 8 one or two motorists have been towed out, having either failed to notice or ignored warning signs. Some farmers have been charging £25 to give a tow with tractors."

    2. Re:If you can't ignore the GPS by supernova87a · · Score: 4, Insightful

      By the way, just a tip for everyone -- I've found that ironically the bus is actually where a GPS makes the biggest improvement in knowing how to get around.

      If you're in an unfamiliar city, buses (in contrast to trains) often have a frustratingly indescribable and unpredictable route/stop pattern, and when the driver/announcement system is of no help, a GPS system in your hand will help you figure out exactly how close you are to your destination, and when to get off the bus.

      I no longer dread dealing with buses because of this capability, although the lurching stop/start of buses in general still drives me crazy. Try it sometime -- the small Nuvi-style units are just about as inconspicuous as an ipod, and are great for helping you get around.

  3. Headup display by ZeroExistenZ · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Why not a headsup display?

    My car's frontwindow angle is say 45.
    This allows me to just put my Android phone on my dashboard which reflects on the window and generates a transparent reflection which shows up in a "virtual distance" in my field of view.
    It's not as crisp to actually read while driving or being stuck in traffic and it requires low light conditions, though. But you can make up a map easily.

    --
    I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
  4. Re:technology editor sucks at technology? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Informative

    The problem isn't struggling with the GPS(at least not in the sense of "Oh noes, the UI is just too hard!). The question is whether or not the GPS UI is distracting the driver's attention enough to make them especially vulnerable to doing stupid(which in a car means dangerous) things.

    Research consistently demonstrates that humans suck at multitasking. Worse, they suck at multitasking to a much greater degree than they think they do. If interpreting a poorly designed GPS UI while also driving counts as multitasking, it is probably a dangerous distraction. If the GPS UI is well designed, it could presumably function as just another subtle environmental cue, something that humans are very good at interpreting.

  5. Situational awareness by wsanders · · Score: 3, Funny

    I have to post quickly, I have a Prius with a technology editor pinned inside I need to unwrap from around a bridge abutment.

    Most people have pretty poor situational awareness. I've overheard more than once on he local ham radio repeater a conversation similar to this:

    Ham driver: "Help help I have an emergency, I need a phone patch to CHP!"
    Ham answers from somewhere: "Where are you?"
    Driver: "I'm on the freeway!"

    And so on. I can only imagine what 911 dispatchers go through.

    --
    Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
  6. If you can't multitask... by incognito84 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...then you shouldn't have GPS. I have no problem looking at the GPS screen on my motorcycle for a split second, recognizing what I'm expected to do and then focusing back on the road again.

    Then again, my GPS display is very simple and I like it that way. I hate displays that are so complicated that you need to scan around the screen with your eyes for a few seconds to get your bearings. Those few seconds could make the difference between life and death.

    I think the real problem here, which is not being addressed, is the fact that most people watch TV on their GPS displays. That should be illegal.

  7. Re:technology editor sucks at technology? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wait, isn't sucking at multitasking already multitasking, right there?

    *ducks

    *head explodes

  8. Re:technology editor sucks at technology? by geekmux · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the guy is a technology editor, why is he struggling with something as simple as a GPS? I'd understand if he was reporting that others had this problem... but come on.

    Ah, I believe the point being brought here is not a matter of being technologically challenged by such a device, but more of the matter of being a device that has gone from being a simple GPS to the new "all-in-wonder" device in the car that will talk to you, answer your phone, play music, give directions, and (soon), start throwing advertisements for local businesses in the area, all at the VERY HIGH cost of distracting the person who is in charge of controlling 2 metric tons of steel down a road at 60MPH or faster.

    As the death tolls rise every day with cellular use while driving(including texting), I can definitely see the issue with similar devices. When insurance companies start refusing to pay for accidents caused by these devices, THEN we may start seeing some REAL reform with all of this. Until then, watch your ass on the roads, because these next-generation twit(ters) can't seem to get enough distractions behind the wheel. I'll be lucky if my kids live to see 30.

  9. Case in point by jdeitch · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just last week, here, we had a truck driver following his GPS ignore no less than EIGHT road signs saying "no trucks allowed" ...

    Then he got stuck on the train tracks (which was WHY the signs said "no trucks allowed") ... the predictable result followed, and about 24,000 lbs of pizza ingredients got scattered over a fairly good chunk of town.

    There are some people in the world who just shouldn't abandon paper.

  10. Re:technology editor sucks at technology? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    2 metric tons of steel down a road at 60MPH or faster.

    Please don't do that. We've lost mars probes because of things like that.

  11. Re:technology editor sucks at technology? by digitig · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes, but it's only looking at one side of the issue. "Overall, the Carnegie Mellon team concluded that the time drivers spent fixated on their satnav displays decreased sixfold and the number of glances needed to confirm results decreased threefold when the navigation system simply used words and numbers to convey instructions rather than fancy graphics." Fine -- but what did it do to the number of missed turns, or the number of times the driver gets into the wrong lane becuase they don't really understand what the words and numbers are actually telling them to do? They're things that can make drivers "especially vulnerable to doing stupid(which in a car means dangerous) things" too. Most of the time sure, I just listen to my satnav. But at complex junctions, actually seeing the layout and where I'm supposed to end up is invaluable. A picture really can be worth a thousand words.

    --
    Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
  12. This is a great article, except... by starglider29a · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...it's hard to read on my iPhone while driving!

  13. Accurate visuals are extremely helpful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Personally, I use the accurate maps on a GPS device to resolve ambiguities in the directions. This is especially true in the case of unusual ramp systems on the highway.

  14. Re:technology editor sucks at technology? by Darkness404 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Exactly. Plus things like "turn here" aren't that accurate on a GPS. Yeah, you might accurate within 300 feet, but if there are 2 roads you can turn in that distance, you might go down the wrong one.

    Also, this "study" fails to see that some people have passengers that can read/edit info on the GPS.

    --
    Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
  15. Re:What's wrong in getting lost, sometimes, anyway by zippthorne · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Or you could do what I do: just take the next exit and let the sat-nav figure out how to get you back on track. If it takes less than a second to do so, missing a couple streets isn't that big a deal, and there's almost certainly a lower attention-demanding route to wherever. Generally, the most complicated places are highways in traffic with left-exits and short spans.

    But if you take any nearby exit, there's almost always a "street with many stoplights" that you can pretty much take your time on. Sat-nav also helps with tricky left turns on that street. Just turn right anywhere near your destination and let it recalculate a route for you.

    The thing about sat nav is that it creates a new navigation paradigm. If you use it right it can really free you from worrying about where you are so you can concentrate on not hitting things. You don't have to drive straight to your destination without deviating from the route to avoid stopping and getting your bearings. Everywhere is like the areas you're familiar with, where if you miss a turn it's no big deal, you just go one of the other permutations you know all about.

    Even if the machine's maps don't quite match up to reality, it's still no worse than when you're in your familiar area and you're trying out a permutation you're fuzzy on: Just turn off when it doesn't match up and get on a route that you know about. As long as you pay attention to the road, the worst thing that can happen is that it'll take longer to get where you're trying to go (unless where you're trying to go is in the middle of a block of roads that the sat-nav is not accurate on. But that's pretty rare.)

    --
    Can you be Even More Awesome?!
  16. Re:technology editor sucks at technology? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Handling multitasking is one of the hardest things that instrument pilots need to do in aircraft. There are a lot of different instruments, and if you get fixated on one of them you tend to fall out of the sky. This is often even worse than a car hitting an abutment. The thing that takes the most practice is "keeping the scan going" -- looking regularly from instrument to instrument, and never stopping. There are even different systems of scan, with different virtues in terms of what information is received most often. New aircraft GPS systems are now totally integrated with the rest of the instrumentation, and the displays are designed to make the most critical instruments almost impossible to miss. Plus, regular refreshers and reviews are required to be allowed to keep flying.

    But car drivers are allowed out there with minimal training and any old display, and they try to do all kinds of multitasking besides. As a pilot, if I could figure out how to fly everywhere and stay away from car drivers, I would. They're just too scary.

  17. Anyone reading Doonesbury? by Bazman · · Score: 2, Funny

    There's a storyline on Doonesbury in a studio where they are recording celebrity SatNav voice-overs. What we really need is James Earl-Jones on our SatNav. http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html?uc_full_date=20091207

    1. Re:Anyone reading Doonesbury? by zippthorne · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, but "What is thy bidding, my master?" gets pretty old after only a couple of destinations are entered, and "Your lack of faith disturbs me" is a pretty obnoxious replacement for "recalculating."

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
  18. Re:What's wrong in getting lost, sometimes, anyway by digitig · · Score: 2, Informative

    Generally, a bed is waiting for me in the destination area, and I would like to get some sleep before the morning meeting rather than spend the night driving around the one-way street system in some foreign city.

    --
    Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
  19. completely misunderstood by supernova87a · · Score: 2, Insightful

    the editor completely misunderstands the point (or misuses his/her GPS). The potential clutter of the user interface/map/traffic aside, GPS is the most dramatic simplification in driving to emerge in years -- provided you just listen to the voice prompts.

    When used correctly, this one amazing device outsources your mental burden of navigation, and presents it to you with a clear voice that lets you devote your effort to (hopefully) driving better, although obviously this has turned many people's attention elsewhere.

    If you've ever found yourself in an unfamiliar city in fast moving, dense traffic, trying to find an address, you will be grateful that you can offload your navigational workload to the GPS, which tells you clearly and plainly when to get ready to turn, in how far a distance, potentially even making it safer as you no longer swerve across 3 lanes of traffic at the last minute while looking at a paper map.

    Of course, people who use it to navigate down isolated country roads they're familiar with will never see the point, but for someone who's task-overloaded in a busy situation, listening to the GPS voice is an amazing improvement in life.

  20. Useful Safety Feature by awyeah · · Score: 2, Informative

    My TomTom unit actually has some safety options where you can have the unit not display the realtime map - instead, it just shows a graphical representation of the next instruction (for example, a line that corners right to signify a right turn), the distance to that instruction, and the street name. I think that's really a pretty useful feature. I have it set up so that it does that whenever I'm going more than 50mph.

    --
    Why, no, I haven't meta-moderated lately. Thanks for asking!
    1. Re:Useful Safety Feature by 6Yankee · · Score: 2, Funny

      I need to get my dad one of those. There's nothing quite as disconcerting as barrelling down an on-ramp, accelerating through 80mph, and realising he's driving the screen...

  21. Re:technology editor sucks at technology? by thePowerOfGrayskull · · Score: 2, Informative

    or the number of times the driver gets into the wrong lane becuase they don't really understand what the words and numbers are actually telling them to do? T

    Having used a satnav with a rental recently, I have to say... it's really hard to misunderstand "Turn left in 120 feet" "Turn left in 50 feet" "Turn left". I used the display, but really only in looking "ahead" to see what was coming up in a mile or two. If a driver doesn't understand how the localized unit of measurement is relevant to actual distance, they shouldn't be driving with or without satnav.

  22. how fancy does the picture have to be? by SuperBanana · · Score: 2, Insightful

    But at complex junctions, actually seeing the layout and where I'm supposed to end up is invaluable. A picture really can be worth a thousand words.

    Yes, but the columnist's point was that you don't need fancy graphics with photos to tell you that. All you need is a clear diagram.

    The factory system in my Volvo is relatively primitive (dates back to 2001 or so), but has an excellent user interface. You get a simple rocker-pad and two buttons, on the BACK of the wheel, that control everything; your hands never leave the ideal steering wheel position. You also get an infrared control with the same buttons, for passengers. The screen rises out of the dashboard, dead center. It does not obscure the road, but it's also close to said road, so your eyes don't wander far.

    The display is relatively simple- map, road name you're on at the bottom, next turn name/distance/road name up top. I think there's a total-time-and-distance-left display, too. The time of day isn't there. Nothing is on the screen except what is directly relevant.

    When a turn approaches, you get a full-screen diagram of the upcoming intersection with you entering from the bottom, and a marked path...and despite the very complex intersections where I live (rotaries with all sorts of shit happening off them, 5+6 way intersections, etc) it always displays them perfectly.

    Did I mention it's fully capable of dead reckoning, with vehicle speed and compass sensors? Your dashboard GPS may have photorealistic intersections, but my GPS works a mile into a tunnel when the tunnel has a 3-way split. About the only thing I wish for is that it were faster at route calculations, displayed more street names and route numbers (it's very bad at this) and was a little better at picking up satellites; once in a blue moon it gets confused as to which street it is on (this is rare since it has dead-reckoning capabilities.)

    --
    Please help metamoderate.
    1. Re:how fancy does the picture have to be? by digitig · · Score: 3, Interesting

      But at complex junctions, actually seeing the layout and where I'm supposed to end up is invaluable. A picture really can be worth a thousand words.

      Yes, but the columnist's point was that you don't need fancy graphics with photos to tell you that. All you need is a clear diagram.

      For those of us who can read maps, sure. But there's something of a sampling bias here on /. -- we tend to be folks who can process symbolic information pretty well. Maps are not a lot of use for my wife, whereas a picture of the intersection with something pointing to where she should leave would be just what she needs.

      --
      Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
  23. It's not about ignoring, it's about data transfer by SuperKendall · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The thing is, I totally get what he is saying - I use a free nav app for the iPhone (and most other platforms) called Waze. At times, the screen is lit up like a christmas tree with a thousand data points.

    But how I like to use the app, is simply as an informational display as to what is around me. So the app would be even more useful to me, if there was a mode that showed the next three streets upcoming and not much else. Kind of like he was talking about the tube map, a more logical and clearly presented map that lets me parse important information much more quickly so I don't have to pay attention, I just have to glance.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  24. Turn off the audio by Wormholio · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I found the audio to be distracting, whereas the video display gives me positional awareness, and I can look at it when I choose to, not when the box decides to say something. I found I was much more relaxed when I found how to turn off the audio.

    So I guess having both at the same time is the real problem.

    --
    "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." -- William Butler Yeats
  25. Driving alone? by Scyber · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I might have the GPS in the car, but an atlas would still be spread across the passenger seat.

    In your situation I might agree. However for me the choice is either use GPS or have my wife reading the map. Needless to say, GPS wins. ;)