Magellan GPS sucks
Danette and I were supposed to be in Quebec tonight, but she felt ill so we're spending the night in Fredericton. A driver's license would be handy right now, but she's the only driver.
Unlike on the way to NS, we have a "GPS" this time around- and so far I'm unimpressed.
The GPS works: it tells the computer where we are. Unfortunately, the software and the map data suck.
We got instructions to turn right on a road from the highway - only it we were on the overpass, and there was no connection. If the description of the world that the computer has is wrong, it WILL lead you astray. Sadly, we can't just correct that for the next person; the mapping industry is more Encyclopedia Britannica than Wikipedia.
The interface for the computer also sucks. Upside-down maps, "intelligent keyboards" that only let you type certain letters, "wizards" that forget previously entered data: this thing is a usability nightmare. There are plenty of places where a bit of polish could come in handy. "Left turn in 200 meters" is confusing when there are two streets 20 meters apart. "Left at the lights" or "Third left" would be more human-friendly.
On the technical side, it seems very slow. Miss a turn, and it takes longer to recalculate a new route than it takes to U-turn. By the length of time it takes to re-calculate, I'm guessing the unit does not save route segments. When you miss getting on the highway, you need to figure out how to get back on; not re-calculate how to get from city A to city B. The lack of technical elegance here contributes to a bad user experience.
Erroneous data, bad interface, slow algorithms. Don't buy a Magellan GPS!
Unlike on the way to NS, we have a "GPS" this time around- and so far I'm unimpressed.
The GPS works: it tells the computer where we are. Unfortunately, the software and the map data suck.
We got instructions to turn right on a road from the highway - only it we were on the overpass, and there was no connection. If the description of the world that the computer has is wrong, it WILL lead you astray. Sadly, we can't just correct that for the next person; the mapping industry is more Encyclopedia Britannica than Wikipedia.
The interface for the computer also sucks. Upside-down maps, "intelligent keyboards" that only let you type certain letters, "wizards" that forget previously entered data: this thing is a usability nightmare. There are plenty of places where a bit of polish could come in handy. "Left turn in 200 meters" is confusing when there are two streets 20 meters apart. "Left at the lights" or "Third left" would be more human-friendly.
On the technical side, it seems very slow. Miss a turn, and it takes longer to recalculate a new route than it takes to U-turn. By the length of time it takes to re-calculate, I'm guessing the unit does not save route segments. When you miss getting on the highway, you need to figure out how to get back on; not re-calculate how to get from city A to city B. The lack of technical elegance here contributes to a bad user experience.
Erroneous data, bad interface, slow algorithms. Don't buy a Magellan GPS!