Probably the most frustrating thing about journeys in my family is not that you get lost, but that you get my father-in-law "helping". Just as you're edging your way out of the door he asks: "which way are you going?" Reluctantly you settle down for the standard quarter of an hour of how he knows a better route. So you can imagine it was with genuine excitement that I began to use GPS - Global Positioning System - in the car. The principle is simple; you tell the system where you are and where you need to be, and it tells you how to get there and if you're lucky will estimate your journey time.
The systems I tried were the Kane Car Pilot and the TomTom Navigator 2 wireless from Palmtop. Both work through a PocketPC PDA and they like the iPaq in particular, so this isn't a light investment if you don't already have the pocket computer. Working with and setting both up was straightforward enough. Install the software, plug the handheld computer's jacket in which the big memory card is located into the cigarette lighter socket and drive. Or wait for the satellite to find you first.
You see, the unit you carry is only a small piece of the technology. The rest is in orbit around the planet, many thousands of miles away, transmitting in real time so that it feels like a service you're using about your person instead of the technological miracle satellite navigation actually is. Which is why I sat there swearing at the bloody thing every time it failed to anticipate some road works.
Road works weren't the only problem (although since the product speaks to you through the iPaq's speakers, unless you're savvy with the wiring on your car's audio system you can't actually listen to the radio) - more serious were the atmospherics. Although cloud cover isn't the problem it once was, it's still an issue and can result in the satellite "losing" you. Turn right, the little voice says, so you turn right. Turn right, it says again, so you turn right again only to find that you're facing a dead end - it didn't realise you had already turned. So much for how it performs when the elements are against it. When they're not it's a dream. Tells you how long it is before your next turning, displays a map but tells you not to look at it because you ought to be watching the road and takes account of any wrong turning you might make. Both systems were jointly the second most useful gadget to have in any car - the first being the hands-free kit for the phone. I don't care what anyone says, these make you a lot safer.
Curiously, the Kane systems had mixed fortunes in finding my address by road name. This is because they're only as good as their maps. Reluctantly I must admit that my father-in-law can find our house better than a computer, and you don't have to plug him in.
