GPS

[krasnoludek]

I have reconfirmed that I dislike using GPS for driving directions. Tonight was the end-of-conference BBQ at the organizer's house in NJ. It was only a half hour drive from my parents', but into a part of NJ I wasn't familiar with. I looked at Google Maps and wrote down directions of a fairly simple route which was only 5 minutes longer than the

Comments

[easwaran]

It definitely depends on the system. After all, in principle there's no difference between following the directions that Google Maps gives you and the directions that some GPS system gives you, except that one might have a better route-finding algorithm than the other. I agree that the Google one in my phone normally picks slightly better routes than the one on the GPS in my car, but the car one has generally been perfectly ok any time I've used it. But I also tend not to use the GPS in my car, because I want to actually learn my way around LA, and following GPS is the perfect way to not pay attention to where you're going.

[krasnoludek]

agreed -- Google Maps is in principle not different. It just seems like Google Maps has a better routing algorithm and is much better/easier at adjusting your route when you, say, want to avoid a particular toll highway. My parents had bought at Magellan GPS on the recommendation that it was the best in the market, but the performance recently makes me seriously doubt that claim.

And yes, using GPS makes you not pay attention to the road at all, meaning you don't learn the route or pay attention to the terrain you're driving through.