Be on Time Every Time: The Garmin 1390LMT

Mind you, a good map comes in really handy in finding one's way to that job interview, wedding reception hall, train station, or dandy vacation spot as the need arises.

I. Problems with the old technology of getting from here to there

Unless there are problems. The map does not include dense city side streets. The highway exit ramp has changed more recently than the map was published. One's destination is just off the edge. It gets too dark and one does not have a light in the proper place to see it very conveniently, besides having to keep one's eyes on the road if one is driving. Or a truck or bad weather obscure a road sign until traffic prevents one the opportunity of getting in the right lane to make the turn.

Those moments and hours of panic, then frustration and wasted time, are what provided a market for global positioning systems (GPS) such as the Garmin Nuvi 1390LMT.

II. The way the new navigation technology works

At any moment, three out of a bunch of satellites spinning around the earth send and receive signals about precisely where you -- or rather your GPS device -- is located on the surface of the planet and in which direction and speed you are moving. Assuming your GPS device is close at hand, your location is then correlated with existing maps of roads and other objects all stuffed into computer memory so that your immediate location can be displayed for the user on screen. A friendly computerized voice warns well in advance of upcoming turns, and arrival estimates are helpfully offered visually or verbally.

Gone are the limitations and problems with printed maps and reading road signs without help. Gone is the nerve-wrenching problem of making turns with only a split second warning.

III. Quibbles with the new navigation technology

Of course GPS guidance does substitute some new problems for old map ones. For one thing, the battery does not last as long as a printed map, and recharging problems arise when the temperature in one's vehicle become too hot or cold. Think of how hot the inside of a car gets with windows fully closed for security reasons while the sun beats down. Battery discharge relies on chemical reaction, and heat at least alters the reaction speed. Or think of how little a battery can function inside a car well below the freezing temperature of water.

And sometimes a satellite signal can become interrupted. Usually GPS devices are designed to keep in touch around tall city buildings and under tree cover, but what about long tunnels or going indoors (if one is on foot, for example, or in a train or bus station under a roof) or what if the signal becomes "distracted" by some competing device or weather phenomenon? Reliable does not mean perfect, as some users of GPS devices will tell you from experience. The screen may freeze in place or go black for a bit. Or your destination may be on the other side of the busy street.

IV. Why GPS is here to stay, at least when like the Garmin 1390lmt

When the grumbling is done, however, those who have GPS devices tend not to revert to printed maps if they can help it. The new technology is just too convenient and reliable. It just solves the old "map problems" too well.

And if that were not enough, GPS devices like the Garmin 1390LMT come with perks and bonuses that a printed map could not offer even with a compass thrown in. Like Bluetooth integration for cell phone calls when both hands are planted on the steering wheel. Like finding where you are at any time just by pressing the screen query that reads appropriately, "Where am I?" Like re-routing a planned route based on reports of heavy traffic or construction bottlenecks. Like planning a route that is most fuel efficient. Like special lane directions at complicated intersections. Like a screen display of present-location speed limits, calculator, measurement converter (e.g., mph vs. km/hr), navigation to a downloaded picture, and out-of-car city navigation help (optional in the 1390LMT).

So with a little care and care of the battery, one can be on time even at strange locations every time, at least as far as navigation has a bearing.

Further information regarding the Garmin 1390lmt is available, or for those interested in GPS devices as an aid in physical training for sports competition or improved health, see the Garmin 210. The author, like many of us, has had occasion to compare use of a map versus GPS for finding new places.