To be clear, I disagree with paper maps being on the list. I know from the number of requests I get that many people still want them. Printed local maps often include information that cannot be found by using Google or a GPS.
Watches are also useful for running. Cell phones are still too bulky.
…and have no legs.
Come again?
I used to do this too. Fond memories. I tend to do it with the Wikipedia as well, but by clicking on links in the articles that seem interesting. This kind of browsing keeps everything a lot closer to one topic than an alphabetical encyclopedia and I think that’s a loss, but I still get my info-fix.
Perhaps. I think that you make a good distinction, but the author says nothing about profit. Just big, heavy, out-of-date books.
I don’t know what you consider affordable, but if you watch the deal sites you can pick up a decent major brand GPS for under $40 and that deal comes up at least twice a month.
If you have a smartphone you can just google directions on that.
Why spend money on a GPS unit when many (most?) smart phones now come with this feature? My Droid X came with Google Navigation, and didn’t cost me a dime.
Because if you can’t afford a GPS you probably don’t have a smarphone? :dubious:
I agree with you for sure, but the GPS feature on my iPhone is a battery killer, and having a dedicated GPS lets me yap on the phone or play music at the same time if need be, plus it’s mounted on my dash which is easier to see.
That sound the computer made when you were using dialup to get to your AOL account.
Shhheeeeeeee - crrrrrrrrk - beeeeboooo …
Parking meters that take coins. They are becoming increasingly rare here in Washington, D.C.
Funny, I came across this thread after watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdSHeKfZG7c . It’s a cute video showing children’s reactions to older technology.
That is cheap. Compared to the over $200 I read that they cost a few years ago.
I’ve been working in the navigation industry for over 16 years. When I first started, GPS systems were only for the very rich and cost about $3000.
I’ve heard of these, but how does the phone know that you’re driving, what speed you’re going, and what directions you’re going?
Phones these days either have legitimate GPS receivers in them, in which case they know all those things because the receiver is constantly updating its position via the satellite above and the software handles things like distance/speed/direction (just like for a dedicated GPS), or they have triangulation systems which try to do roughly the same thing via triangulating your position based on signals bouncing off of cellphone towers.
My understanding is most newer smartphones use dedicated GPS radios while older and cheaper phones use triangulation because it doesn’t require any additional hardware in the device itself.
Google maps can give you driving directions to a particular address and a GPS call tell you where you are and to get to a particular place.
A printed map, though, can show you the locations of things your not specifically looking for, as well as showing you the geographical relationship between, say, the museum you’re visiting, groups of local shops and restaurants, the zoo and the beach. Paper maps do much more than get one from point A to point B.
And bear in mid we’re talking about children born this year. Most of them won’t have their own smartphones until at least 2014.
You can do all of those things simultaneously with an Android phone. Hell, mine is the *original *Android phone (currently running v. 1.6) and can do that. And Google Maps Navigation never needs updating and the GPS locator is more accurate than any standalone GPS I’ve seen.