Penny and I just returned from a trip to another part of the state we are familiar with, but often have to say "is that the turn we take?" Finally broke down and bought a GPS for about $10 from Sam's Club. Not bad considering they can go up to $400. This machine gives us maps, and verbal directions, upcoming turns, and can find restaurants and all sorts of things. It found Red Robin Gourmet Hamburgers across Lexington for us and guided us right into the parking lot. I'm glad I still know how to use a map (like I'm glad I can know how to multiply and do long division) but this is great!. No more asking directions and trying to follow them in a strange town. Just makes me wonder....if a satellite can do this, what are some able to do who have access to our cell phone do, which is registered to us? Hmmm. I hope they don't know when I use the restroom in my own house, wink wink

Yes, I have one in my car and its wonderful - especially when you go out of town - you can look for gas, food, etc and if you take a wrong turn it will get you back on track.

This is a funny thread to me. We used it last night in our roadtrip and I made some wrong turns because I wasn't listening to her. But she got me back on track pretty quick. Mine says "Take the motorway" instead of the freeway. I think she's British!

My first time using my GPS...my husband was the "co-pilot"....he still doesn't understand how that "little man in there knows where we are and where to turn"...lol...he is 81...I gave up trying to make him understand and took the GPS away from him...he kept accidently hitting the screen and losing everything...lol...even "killed" the little man in there...oh well, it has helped me alot...Naomi :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Wow! $10.00? If I send you money, could I talk you into getting me one for my daughters Christmas gift? She just recently got married, moved to a new town and is always getting lost!

When my fiance got his GPS, he chose the British accent because he thought the American voice sounded like it was shouting at him. ;)

wait til it gets you lost at a dead end in the construction zone..sigh...

We have a Tom Tom and my husband chose the voice from the evil man from the movie Silence of the Lambs. Makes for an interesting drive. He is actually quite polite. Talks about therapy..and talking with Clarice. It's a real hoot. :-D

I'm so sorry. I cannot type. I hunt and peck, not consistently watching the screen. The GPS we got was $150, with free map updates. Oh, and I like the female voice talking to me (Jill, as listed in the menu), as I'm used to taking directions from Penny when we drive. Neither of us is afraid to ask strangers for directions by the way. We'll use her to get us to the Goodwill in Nashville quickly this week to get Miss Ruby (our new to us Redeye). So excited...Don

The first time we used one was in the UK - a borrowed one. We were traveling on an A road up through the midlands to Yorkshire. The road we were on had a lot of recent construction, they were removing quite a few of the roundabouts and making 4 way stops.

The first time we hit a "former" roundabout the GPS thought it was still there. It was a hoot watching our car "spin out" off road on the GPS screen and the woman rapidly repeating "recalculating".

Ditto. Or takes you to a corn field rather than the hotel.

Don't travel without Maggie (my Garmin). New car has one built in. My first went in any car we were in - it has been all over Canada, Ireland and England. Got the update for UK/Ireland dated Jan 2011 before we left..only problem was part of the toll road in Ireland was not completed until March. I change the accent once in awhile just for fun. "Recalulating" is her favorite phrase because DH never wants to follow directions.

LOL i have been wanting to get a GPS for when me and my mom go road-tripping

We got a GPS a few years ago and I must admit that I love it to death. I am terminally directionally challenged. I LOVE not having to ask my DH for directions (which always came half a block and a lane change from a turn).

I am thankful for my GPS when I am trying to get to DD's house in the city and there is a major accident on the 401 (freeway in Toronto) and I have no knowledge of the surface streets to her home.

But the best thing of all--My DH programmed our GPS for factory outlets and QUILT SHOPS!!!! Now you just gotta love that man!! (even tho he also programed it for Starbucks--blech--but they do have a good magazine section!)

BUt I do have one beef: WHY WILL MY DH TAKE DIRECTIONS FROM THE FEMALE IN OUR GPS WHEN HE NEVER WILL TAKE MY DIRECTIONS!! Arrrgggh!!

i have navagation on my dell streak mobile. love it. wonder sometimes how i managed without!!!!

They're very good but realize the info in them is only as good as those that put the info in. We had experience here where a man followed the GPS and went on mountain roads in middle of winter. He ended up dying and his wife and children almost died before being found. Also, we've had them give us bad instructions...........follow the instructions but use common sense. And yes, technology is there where they can follow our every move. But I move so slowly and am not a great catch to watch in the restroom, so I'm not worried :mrgreen:

Lol...I realized last nite when looking at photos on my new phone, that it has a folder with pics that were taken at my house. And where the name of the folder is it has my address.lol Thats what stuff the gps on our phones can do. It will tell where I was when I took a pic. WOW!
Tammy

My best friend! :thumbup: Travels with me everywhere and talks to me often!

Interesting question you ended your post with. To illustrate: DH left his cellphone at a hotel and realized it too far down the road to go back and get it. So he called me and asked me to report it lost- assuming, like the pessimists we are, that it would never be seen again. I did report it, online, and they sent me an email saying their GPS knew exactly where the phone was, even tho DH had disabled the GPS function on his phone!

I won a garmin at a holiday work party, and since we never travel, I promptly gave it to our daughter, for when they go on vacations and do other traveling. She loves it and uses it all the time. I just make her take me with her sometimes, and show me how it works. Good for both of us.

GPS's are the bomb! They not only keep us from getting lost, usually anyway, but entertain us too! We travel many thousands of miles every year with our RV and use 2 at the same time. His and hers of course, but we've found getting 2 opinions from 2 different brands very helpful at times! Bear in mind we are 75 ft long with toad hooked up :shock:
And we still end up making u-turns! But that usually because DH refuses to turn when I tell him to or he changes his mind for the umptenth time!!

I'm a map gal. I've never experienced one except in a rental car. I didn't pay to have it turned on, but that did NOT stop it from trying to get me to get to the Dallas airport every blessed time I got in the car. Grrrr... No idea how to shut it off, so I just kept grumping at it. That didn't make it shut up either, but I felt a bit better.
The only time I wished it was maybe turned on was when I ended up at a four way stop deep in LA. Hmmm-it seems street signs were not a priority in the sticks out there. I went all four ways through that intersection; spent probably at least half an hour going back and forth and sideways. Oh-no houses out there either! I did eventually make it to where I was supposed to though. I still like my maps best.

We love our Garmin. It took us around a Huge traffic jam in St Louis- through residential area and we thought for sure we were lost. Came out exactly where we needed to be to get on interstate for our destination.

My DH takes wrong turns just to her the voice say recalculating. It makes him laugh. The first time we used it, in our own neck of the woods he took a lot of wrong turns. When we arrived at our driveway the voice said "Home. Finally". We just about died laughing!

My DH received a GPS for Christmas. When we go on a trip to someplace we haven't been, he'll set the GPS. And turns it on in the driveway, knowing he is not going to go the way the thing tells him to go. His short cuts!! Then the lady's voice says 'recalculating'. I got so tired of hearing her, I actually started calling her the Road B#$%H!! I told DH I am going to read the instructions and either get another voice or turn her down.

We love our "lady in the box". Been all over the US and she was amazingly accurate. We love to take an exit or head to something of interest, just so we can hear her get her panties in a bunch and say...recalculating, with a British attitude!!!!

Errr - that would be 'her knickers in a knot'! :lol:

I changed mine from the woman to the man because I was sure she was getting a testy tone in her voice if I took a wrong turn - the man is much more supportive and forgiving. If I go wrong he has a soothing tone in his voice like 'never mind dear, I'll get you back on track'. And there's me, pretending to be a feminist! :lol:

You can choose the language/accent/gender on the GPS! I could not do my sales job without my GPS!

In ragardvto my cell phone....someonewould have to e pretty to care what is on mine!
Sandy

You can turn that function off.
S

I never rely on mine anymore. We used it to get home from a short trip and it ended up taking us on a "road" called River Road in PA that was nothing but curves. Ay one stop the incline was so steep we couldn't even see the road over the hood of the car.I said if I tried to tell someone where I was they would have never found me. It was a deserted back road through some park.. Another time it took us through downtown Richmond VA on a trip back from Florida.

You have to look at the overall route map in the GPS to determine if the route it wants to take you on makes sense. You have to be "smarter" than the GPS. Depending on the settings, it can and will take you on a route that does not make sense. they are not perfect but close. Check your settings to see how they are set up. They are not fool proof but I won't live without my GPS.
sandy

We have OnStar in one car and a GPS in the other. Like them both. When I asked my husband if he preffered the male voice or female voice he replied" i've been getting directions from a female most of my life so why quit now!"

we live in the country and when people come over from a distance, we have to tell them NOT to follow the GPS. I guess they are fine in the city but around here they will send you down a snowmobile trail or a cow path. Or take a very long way around instead of the shortest way.

Love my GPS, Jack. He went AWOL for a few months and I lamented for him so much that I had to replace him. We got a new one and, lo and behold, Jack appeared on the kitchen counter the next day. Go figure. So now we have Jack and Frank. The male voice is clearer than the female voice on both GPS's.

We gave Jack to our son at college "just in case" his "summer job" boss needs him to go somewhere and do something for him.

Frank is newer, better, has traffic and lifetime maps, and was significantly cheaper than Jack.

We do, however, look at a real map before using the GPS. We decide ahead of time which way to go knowing after a while the GPS will get in step with where we're going. The mute button is our best friend until the Jack or Frank finally agree with our route.

Love the GPS, but know how to use a map when I need to!

Also, if you're on a hike, the GPS will keep track of how far you've gone. Good for times when you only want to hike a couple miles out.

I don't leave home without it. It's been a lifesaver when driving through unfamiliar cities. Having it to direct you to the correct lane is great.

We like to get ours frustrated by not turning where she says to turn. RECALCULATING Sometimes she sounds like she is getting upset and gets a little abrupt. My husband calls her Bitchin' Betty.
I was really glad we took her to Florida with us. We had a rental car and no clue where we were going. She kept us on track but we think she secretly works for the Florida toll commission. We spent nearly $50.00 in tolls that week we were in the Orlando area!
She has gotten us out of some pretty rough situations. She was worth every penny.

mine always says Recalculating!!

I have the knight Rider version for a GPS.... it lights up and even sounds like Kitt! I love it. when you turn him on he says your name and everything. "***, Where would you like to go today?" it's great.

LOL thinking maybe I need to get one .. Even with a map I get lost !LOL so my hubby tells me all the time ! I am pretty good with directions tho !LOL

Our GPS's name is Martha. She can sometimes take the long way around. :)