Don’t get lost
Sometimes, despite the best directions, drivers manage to cock it up spectacularly. We take the wrong turn or go straight when we should turn.
We take note of famous landmarks and myriad petrol stations and shopping centres, promising ourselves we’ll remember them in case we need to double back.
Of course, in reality it never quite works out like that and we end up thoroughly confused since one street looks much the same as the next.
The situation is compounded when there are other occupants in the car and directions are suddenly being provided by a committee.
Now losing one’s way can really be a thing of the past because of in-car satellite navigation systems.
This modern-day map and compass system makes use of between three and eight satellites at a time, interacting with the built-in software of the actual in-car system.
The premise is simple: key in your destination, down to the street number and nearest junction and a recorded voice provides pinpoint guidance.
Not all satellite navigation systems are equal, however, and despite technological advances one finds some cars are more user-friendly than others.
The cost of a factory-fitted navigation systems is another issue, with certain manufacturers charging as much as R25000.
Even Audi’s super car, the R8 which costs about R1,2m , does not come standard with Satnav – a shocker for a car of this magnitude.
The good news, with the festive season on us, is that the price of portable Satnav systems is coming down as
the latest technology is being made available to motorists.
Leading electronics company JNC is following on the success of its Navig8 351 model with a slim and sleek new GPS product called the 578, which will be joined by a wider screen model dubbed the 743.
The Navig8 satellite navigation unit has an anti-glare visual with touch-screen functionality.
Branded a smart device, the Navig8 578 comes pre-loaded with more than 70000 points of interest, including tourist attractions, schools, restaurants and even nightclubs and strippers’ bars.
Test driving one model recently, we were impressed with the relative ease of set-up for the device and option of a 2-D or 3-D diagram.
Navig8 stores up to 200 favourite destinations that can be individually labeled and it automatically remembers the last 50 places traveled to via GPS.
I miss the individual road and highway names that one finds on other in-car systems but no doubt JNC will provide this when the software is available.
What’s really enjoyable about Navig8 is that it is slim and easily transportable.
It can be used in a car or by pedestrians and when not in use for directions it can be used to listen to MP3 music or for playback of Mpeg video.
Navig8 comes with a USB slot, a slot for a digital memory card as well as accessories to link it up with a PC or laptop.
Despite it being smaller than the 743 model, our test unit of the Navig8 578 offered decent visibility and a full colour 3D screen.
Both models will be sold via Hi-Fi Corporation, with the Navig8 578 model selling for just under R2000 and the wider screen version for R3000.
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