+reepicheep Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 Saw this on slashdot. Cool concept, but way in Washington area (maybe Jeremy can get one and review it). I would think Atlanta will buy into this soon as they are already setup with the speed monitors/etc. Didn't care for the comment in the slashdot post though. quote: Now why can't automakers put this kind of thing in a dash instead of mostly worthless GPS navigation and DVD units?" Kenneth Quote Link to comment
Jeremy Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 But $4.99 a month for the service? I check the roads before my drive across 520 or 90 anyway. By the time I got in the car and looked at the gauge my decision would be made already. Just make it a bookmark on your PC. I already pay for broadband, why pay for this too? Neat concept but limited application. Jeremy Irish Groundspeak - The Language of Location Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 Besides, anybody who has been here for at least 3 months has learned really quick which hours to avoid those high traffic areas and usually, the local radio station 710 AM is good for keeping up to date on the accidents. Cheers! TL Quote Link to comment
+Prime Suspect Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 I like the way they promote the non-scrolling screen and no Off button as "features". Apparently, the display shown is pretty much all you get. The little LCD blocks flash to indicate the problem. There's no GPS involved - the unit has no idea of where you are on the road. That's up to you to figure out. And no exits are listed, so it's tough to figure exactly where a problem is. All in all, pretty lame. "Don't mess with a geocacher. We know all the best places to hide a body." Quote Link to comment
Jeremy Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 For those outside the Seattle area, it mirrors this web site. If you've lived in this area longer than a few weeks you would have a good idea where you are in relation to the map on the device. I wonder what people will do with it when the company goes under? Maybe hack it and make it into a football game. I'd rather have this item since it has many different functions. Traffic patterns could be one service. Jeremy Irish Groundspeak - The Language of Location Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 Seems like a pretty limited device to me. Software such as mapopolis already consider current traffic into routing if you are willing to pay a subscription service, and have the right equipment for connectivity. Quote Link to comment
+reepicheep Posted July 9, 2003 Author Share Posted July 9, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Jeremy:I wonder what people will do with it when the company goes under? Maybe hack it and make it into a football game. Cool! A football game! LOL Maybe just before it flops they can offer some money to whomever hacks it to get more publicity. quote:I'd rather have http://www.microsoft.com/resources/spot/default3.mspx since it has many different functions. Traffic patterns could be one service. Jeremy Irish Groundspeak - The Language of Location That would be nice. Kenneth Quote Link to comment
+GeneralBracket Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 This is what we have here. Pretty cool. You can get video feeds of the freeways before you leave work/home. Yeah. I know most big cities have freeway cameras. Quote Link to comment
+ChrisCindy Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 We just have some red neck that staggers up to the camera on the news and tells you everything is fine and to go about your work. Kinda sounds like communist China propaganda. Quote Link to comment
+Cat'N'Geo Posted July 10, 2003 Share Posted July 10, 2003 I leave for work at 6am, never any problems. Well, except for waking up as the side of the truck rubs against the bridge rail. Cruise control is ok, I want auto pilot. They say this universe is bound to blow, I say we crank up the Calypso Control! ~Jimmy Buffett ~Someday I Will~ Quote Link to comment
+AmericanSpirit Posted July 10, 2003 Share Posted July 10, 2003 Just a crazy but probably unimplementable idea. Get all the in dash navigation systems in the cars to work wireless network. They would be able to communicate their direction and speed of travel to each other, and then display that information on a map. Color coding for the speed. Either a peer to peer type thing where each unit would send all/most of its data out on the network every 2-3 minutes which may cause bandwidth problems (i think), or something like the APRS system for HAM radio, and each unit just send its own speed,directionm and location, but unless the manufacturer created a lot of digipeaters in the area, range could be an issue. Or maybe a system where a master could be voted for the area, others would send info to the masters, the masters would then communicate all their data to each other, and then send it out to the subs. There are 10 types of people in the world..those that understand binary and those that don't Quote Link to comment
+Prime Suspect Posted July 10, 2003 Share Posted July 10, 2003 quote:Originally posted by AmericanSpirit: ... unimplementable ... Correct. "Don't mess with a geocacher. We know all the best places to hide a body." Quote Link to comment
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