in Case Study, Consumer Advocacy, Opinion, Technology

$90 For Unlimited Maps?

My in laws gave me a Garmin GPS for Christmas and at first I thought I really didn’t need it, and didn’t use it until February, but once I started seeing how useful this tool was, I was hooked (much like I was with a cell phone) .

Initially, we started using it to find Gymnasiums in various parts of Ottawa, and then farther afield, as we traveled to various spots in Eastern Ontario and the Saint Lawrence Valley. I enjoyed getting the feedback of watching the journey on the little screen and getting estimates about when we would arrive and such (and the annoying voice of the narrator). Did I really need this technology, was debatable, but now that I am hooked, it doesn’t really matter any more.

The way this GPS works is you get an initial set of maps from Garmin and then if you want updated maps you can buy them as updates one at a time, or get a lifetime subscription where you get map updates (for your Geographic area, which is North America for me) allegedly for the life of your device (we shall see if this is the case). I finally broke down and bought the lifetime subscription, since it seemed to cost about twice as much as a one time update (thus getting two updates is the break even point).

Did I make the right decision buying this? I think given how much I use the device, it might end up being a useful buy (however, I still have the nagging feeling that I have been duped). Having up to date maps and information is very useful in my mind, but is it worth about $100?

I welcome any comments about whether this was a worthwhile purchase.

Another important thing to remember with your GPS is that it can be used as a surveillance device, if you update it a fair amount on line. I am not sure if there is a “don’t send my travel info” on the download capability or on the actual device (must look into this), but it was pointed out to me that the device itself does keep track of your journeys (that you take the GPS with), and may log this information with the GPS web site.

Is this information important? It can be, depending on who has the information. The GPS could say whether it thought you were speeding on your trip (which might be useful to law enforcement agencies). The GPS can also keep track of where you went, which would be useful to marketing firms which are curious about who shops where. Are you at home? If your GPS has 3G capabilities and updates data through the Cell Network, then, yes someone knows your car is not home at least. Is this me being paranoid, maybe, but keep in mind what information you may be sharing with the outside world, and whether you want it shared. I will now put my Aluminum Foil and Cheese hat back on to stop them from reading my thoughts.

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