Andrew Lim
It's thought that Andrew was born with built-in Bluetooth. When he talks, radios make that strange buzzing sound usually associated with network interference and there are rumours that he has an alphanumeric keypad implanted in his back.
Next: Domino's Pizza by TXT service is dangerously good
Previous: Mobile broadband is set to explode
Monday 13 August 2007, 5:26pm
Attack of the sat-nav driver
There I am, driving along the M25, when somebody in front of me decides to swerve across three lanes to make an exit. At first I was upset, but one peek through the back window and I could see it was somebody intently following a sat-nav.
I'm not saying that because the driver who cut me up was using a sat-nav that made it okay, but we've all been there. You're peacefully driving along when suddenly your sat-nav beeps out, "In 100 yards, turn left." Thanks, I'm doing 70mph, that's in about two seconds.
After some time with a sat-nav you get used to being commanded and take it in your stride, but when you first get one, you can't help feeling under its complete control. Particularly if you have no idea where you're going.
My only advice is to try, when possible, to have a look at your route on a map before leaving the house. Sat-navs are good, but you have to take them with a pinch of salt sometimes, and make sure you don't rely on them completely.
Next: Domino's Pizza by TXT service is dangerously good
Previous: Mobile broadband is set to explode
Comments on this post
I have a sat-nav, and I certainly think it can be a serious distraction when driving. I try only and use it when I have to, and not as a matter of course (no pun intended). I use it on long journeys even if I already know the route because I find it very handy to know WHEN I'm going to arrive rather than having a turn-by-turn direction guide. Of course having the backup of knowing it can keep you on course if your route is blocked or diverted is handy. But as Andrew says, read a map first! Mind you, on the M25 and other motorways, it does give a hell of a lot more warning than just two seconds, and there were plenty of morons on the M25 before SatNav became popular anyway...
Posted by Jolyon Ralph on Thu 16 August, 2007 12:54 PM
Offensive? Inappropriate? Report this comment
What a load of old cobblers. I appreciate you may have had a near miss with some muppet who can't multi task, but I sell, Garmin, Tom tom, Navman and many other sat nav units. All of which give the drivers plenty of notice before issuing an instruction to leave a motorway. Most of the time they vary the announcement depending on your speed and distance to the next junction. I can map read as well as the next bloke. But I find when I'm going somewhere new, having the sat nav allows me to relax and enjoy the journey and pay more attention to my driving, instead of reading every single road sign! If I do miss a turning... so what? Sat nav re-routes me safely.
Posted by Alan on Sat 18 August, 2007 10:24 PM
Offensive? Inappropriate? Report this comment
Articles by Andrew Lim
Snapdragon breathes fire into netbooks
Crave If your feverish dreams have showed you a paper-thin netbook that packs 3G, the Snapdrgaon chipset from Qualcomm could be the thing that makes it possible
Nokia E63
Review The E63 smart phone, a less expensive version of the E71, offers a wide screen and full, easy-to-press Qwerty keypad in a more colourful, chunkier case. Despite lacking the E71's HSDPA and GPS, the E63 offers a good Web experience, and is a great device for texting and sending emails
Samsung Blue Earth: The plastic-bottle phone
Crave Ever wondered what happens to your water bottles when you put them in the recycling bin? They get turned into mobile phones, of course
Garmin-Asus nuvifone M20 and G60: Sat-nav smart phones
Photo Sat-nav maker Garmin has teamed up with PC maker Asus to create Garmin-Asus, which has announced two smart phones with sat-nav functionality
Virgin Mobile launches £8.50 monthly tariff
Crave If you're strapped for cash but the thought of going pay as you go is simply too much to bear, Virgin Mobile's latest tariff may be right up your street
LG Prada 2 KF900
Review The attractive Prada 2 KF900 is one of the best fashion phones yet. It doesn't have the app ecosystem of the iPhone, but a slide-out Qwerty keypad and responsive touchscreen mean it's ideal for messaging, while Wi-Fi and HSDPA add oomph to the Internet experience
Twestival: Live Aid 2.0
Crave What could you do with a laptop, Twitter and an idea? Raise $1m dollars for charity? With Twestival, event producer Amanda Rose aims to do just that
Vodafone to launch Android phone at Mobile World Congress?
Crave If you're looking forward to another Android phone this year, keep your eye on Vodafone. According to one person on Twitter, the company will launch such a device at MWC
