Portable GPS car units Any Suggestions

[Wes Tausend]

Originally Posted by trularin

Wes,

Can you drive around with a huge laptop on your dash?

I mean, wouldn't you have a hard time seeing? And what if you get email? Do you stop and answer it?

Do you talk on your cell while driving?

Just wondering, that seems huge for a GPS.

"Laptop on your dash?"
Funny you should ask, Tru. Linda was just looking at smaller "swivel-top" laptops to replace her old HP. Her reasoning was that it would take up less room in the car with the top closed, screen face up. I imagine it would even fit on the dash tray of my pick-up or old work car... but not in her car. I have mixed feeling$. While I would inherit her old laptop, I heard that the hinge on these new swivel-tops is very fragile. Still, the large screen, though huge, is handy to quickly read if placed on the distant adjacent seat and, like many people, we already own laptops. And cheap.
Did I mention cheap?
Considering the $70 cost of in-car DVD players (7" screen) and these $70 adapters, the GPS on-dash units should all be priced at little over $100.


"Do you talk on your cell while driving?"
I don't presently keep my cell on much. I still have one of the beloved-but-clutzy ancient Motorola full size analog flip-phones. They eat the battery pretty quick. One advantage here is that they work better in the boonies, being less likely to drop calls than many early digital units. I can use them nearly anywhere in the thick steel cab of a locomotive, with the huge generators interfering right behind me, and still not drop calls. Our ND cell towers are pretty sparse yet.


The newer digital work much better, at least the Motorola brand. After several years of allowing "No Thanks", Verizon tells me I will be finally forced to update to digital in January.
I doubt whether the deal will still be three free phones for $45/month total.


I'm patiently waiting for satellite email/net service to come down to $40/mo or less.
(I think it should be free. )
I do appeciate that GPS is subscriber-free... yet. If government GPS were just released to the insanely profit-driven public venue today, I bet it wouldn't be....



Do you sense a "cheapskate" trend with me here?

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