Have you ever really considered how incredible technology is?
A few days ago we ventured off our established paths. We have come to count on GPS devices. There is one on our car and we carry an auxiliary Tom Tom which was purchased about ten years ago.
The latest is one called Motion X. It is on Ralphs iphone and has become his directional expert over the past year. It has only let us down two times.
One was not really its fault. We were vacationing in Washington DC. Driving a lease car is already unsettling. Coupled with that was the fact that the usually reliable device kept repeating " please place the device where it has a clear view of the sky." Excuse me? Does that mean that the dashboard does not meet that criteria?
It did not if you use the argument that the device gave us no direction on that particular trip.
When you consider that the GPS works off of satellites way up in the sky, it makes sense that sometimes there might be clouds or pollution too heavy to allow satellite bounces.
All has been well with the use of Motion X since we returned from DC. That was until we tried to use it to navigate into a thickly freewayed area close to downtown Houston.
That trip was a genuine nightmare. The fact that the building address we had been given no longer existed probably was part of the problem.
In fact the entire general area had recently been bulldozed.
That makes it a little difficult to find anything on the ground. This time the little navigation voice kept on saying "if possible, make a U turn." U turns are not always possible. Sometimes they are not even practical.
In parts of town that you are not familiar with, those sorts of instructions are frustrating. Frustration is not a good driving emotion. Had the device not been embedded in the indispensable iPhone, it might have become a part of the freeway feeder!
BMC Real Estate - 209-910-3706 - Stockton, CA
The Mother & Daughter Realty Team
This made me smile in that ... we have all ran up on something that made you go wow! GPS and other devices are really something else. I just try to keep up and those that leave me behind.... well - I will catch up sooner or later.
Mar 31, 2013 11:37 AM
KW of the Palm Beaches - Palm Beach Gardens, FL
KW 561-214-0370
been in your shoes with an address not uh... available.. even if the building has been there for years!
Mar 31, 2013 11:40 AM
Brad MacKenzie - Duxbury, MA
Turning Houses into Homes on the South Shore
Funny. Using GPS on the open ocean has been a real boon, but it's still good to learn celestial navigation (doing it by hand) to be able to get home if there's a techno failure.
Mar 31, 2013 11:45 AM
Referral Patners LLC - Murphy, TX
Laughing because my husband and I had a similiar experience with the GPS on a visit to Houston last summer. Most of the time it takes right where I need to be.
Mar 31, 2013 01:20 PM
Sailwinds Realty - Trinity, FL
20+ Years Selling Homes in New Port Richey, FL
GPS is often unreliable and makes many mistakes, Ralph and Jeanne. And it's always frustrating when you get lost because we all feel so in charge of our world.
Mar 31, 2013 11:06 PM
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager
I would be LOST, in more ways than one, without my gps. I don't know how I survived without one!
Apr 02, 2013 11:40 PM
MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating - Lynbrook, NY
MJ Decorators Workshop
Charles Rutenberg Realty - Clearwater, FL
Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Safety Harbor
The new technology is indeed pretty amazing and I don't understand why some people refuse to use it.
Apr 02, 2013 11:45 PM
Alan Kells School of Real Estate/Howard Hanna Real Estate - Erie, PA
Erie/PA Real Estate Instructor
Jeanne, we had similar problems in downtown Pittsburgh and Chicago. The tall buildings blocked view of satellites. Fortunately I had been to Pittsburgh often enough to have some sense of direction, but in Chicago our GPS had us turn left when we should have turned right. Once again we figured out the mistake before we ended up in Lake Michigan.
Have a good day!
Apr 03, 2013 12:04 AM
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD
It is always a good idea to have a map in the car even when you have a navigation system.
Apr 03, 2013 01:12 AM
BHHS/Utah Properties - Park City, UT
Park City, Utah Real Estate News
I think everyone has a funny GPS story, but sometimes they sure do come in handy. I have just learned to question before blindly listening to them though.
Apr 03, 2013 11:34 AM
RE/MAX Gateway, Reston, Herndon, Ashburn, Sterling, Fairfax - Herndon, VA
Realtors - Northern Virginia
Ha! If possible make a U turn! How we all hate those words. The fact that so many areas have been leveled recently and new roads are present that were not there a year ago has made us go to Google maps on our phones as back up to our Garmin. Google maps seems always to be up to date.
Apr 03, 2013 10:21 PM
ZOOM Realty Group - Cocoa Beach, FL
"The Accidental Blogger" Cocoa Beach, Florida
The GPS in my car has been very accurate (so far) but I had never tried using the iPhone GPS. I am a paranoid type so when I head far from home, I go to Map Quest and print out driving directions for 2 or 3 different routes just in case I need a backup.
Apr 06, 2013 02:47 PM
Rainmaker
524,908
524,908
Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker
Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!
Recent Posts
Just for Fun
over 7 years ago
Real Estate General Information
almost 10 years ago
ActiveRain Community
about 10 years ago
Author Bio: Ralph and Jeanne are long time Real Estate BROKERS dedicated to helping good folks buy homes and land in Durango Colorado and the Surrounding area.
Durango, CO (81301) Local Weather
Comments(13)