XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.sf.science   
   From: jclarkeusenet@cox.net   
      
   In article , gossg@gossg.org says...   
   >   
   > "Rod Speed"  wrote:   
   >   
   >   
   > >> I haven't got a GPS, so I'm not up with these things.   
   > >   
   > >You do actually, your ipad. It won't work very well if its   
   > >a wifi only ipad.   
   >   
   > I was startled to discover that the iPad that my wife's college   
   > program provides (most textbooks are provided electronically) has no   
   > GPS.   
   >   
   > We have a 3G hotspot to provide data, and I was expecting to use the   
   > nice big display rather than my phone.   
   >   
   > Both of my last two phones have had sucky GPS.  (The one before that   
   > had none.)  I can expect that of the MotoLuxe, which was crappy, cheap   
   > and sucky all around (except for having a lanyard loop and the cool   
   > coloured LED indicators shining out behind the strap.)   
   >   
   > I was disappointed that the G2 seems to have sucky GPS.  It keeps   
   > saying "signal lost" at various times during my journey, and then   
   > recovers silently.  Trying to use either one as a better speedometer   
   > on my motor scooter fails when the GPS loses lock.  (But they maintain   
   > lock long enough to establish that the scooter speedometer is wildly   
   > off at the top end.  My top speed of 65 MPH is really 55 MPH.)   
   >   
   > The G2 is supposed to be a top-end unit.  I wonder if the GPS in mine   
   > is just a lemon, or if the compromises to make it a comfortable fit in   
   > my shirt pocket limit the antenna design.   
      
   Also compromises to reduce power consumption.  I dunno why GPS is such a   
   power hog but it is.  A typical purpose-made GPS today runs about 16   
   hours on a set of AA batteries.  That same unit would run a much shorter   
   time on a little bitty cell-phone battery.   
      
   > I'm also disappointed that I can't tell it to download my local city   
   > and live without a data connection.  I use a wifi hotspot rather than   
   > buying a data plan, and it's a pain to provide data to it when I want   
   > to use the phone as a GPS.  Especially when none of the household GPS   
   > units will fit into the phone pocket on the motor scooter.   
      
   Suggestion--get a Garmin Zumo.  Purpose made for motorcycles, comes with   
   motorcycle mount.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)