Posts Tagged car gear
Magellan RoadMate Traveler GPS System
I’ve long been a holdout on the car GPS front. I only seem to spend a little bit of time driving in places where I really have no clue about where I’m going and the rest of the time I’ve just used Google Maps on my cell phone, which usually guides me where I need to go.
I agreed to give this Magellan RoadMate Traveler a whirl though to see what I had been missing. Since this one claimed that it would guide me to landmarks and attractions, it seemed to be a good one for people who take lots of road trips.
It does all the things you would expect a car GPS device to do of course. You plug it into the cigarette lighter outlet, though there’s a built-in battery that will keep it going for about two hours with no power. It’s got an attractive and bright five-inch screen, which is an inch more than my Motorola Atrix Android phone. That can make a difference in how clear the street names are. It shows the speed limit where you are, shows and tells you where to turn (including the actual street name), and tells you about how long it will take to get there. In my tests the directions were very good and the ETA was surprisingly accurate—within a minute many times. You can zoom in or out and use the display in either portrait or landscape mode. 
It’s got an intuitive spelling function you see on many GPS devices that eliminates letters as you spell the address. This saves loads of time. I also liked the highway exit point of interest function. This is like the signs you see beside the interstate telling you which gas stations or restaurants are coming up, but it’s more comprehensive and you can look ahead to a further exit beyond the immediate one. Supposedly there are six million points of interest in the database of this thing, so you won’t be hurting for info on where to spend your money on your road trip.
Thankfully all of this is pretty intuitive because the “user handbook” only has 11 small pages of info. Two of those are safety warnings and two and a half are about the Wi-Fi function and browser nobody will use. You need to be good at figuring out icons on the menu settings though. Once you do you can command it to take you to the city center, to a certain intersection, or to a previous address.
Directions for Travelers
There are a few bonus features that make this model special though, especially if you belong to AAA. Magellan is the only company making GPS devices that include the built-in “AAA TourBook” that shows Diamond ratings and descriptions on AAA-approved places. If you are a AAA member, you can easily access Roadside Assistance phone numbers from your device to call for help.
The TourDirector feature highlights nearby attractions and you can bookmark favorite places with the OneTouch menu. I can’t say I’ve used that favorites even once though since, if it’s my favorite, won’t I know how to get there already? This is probably more useful for business travelers who return to the same city regularly but don’t know it inside and out. It’s a bit misleading too that the Tour Director icon shows a woman with talk bubbles around your head. Nothing is actually spoken: it’s all text on a screen. So you’re not going to be referencing it while in motion.
In other specs, this GPS unit weighs a half pound and is very thin, it comes with a USB cord and SD slot, and the GPS accuracy is listed as three to five meters. The warranty is good for one year.
Overall this performed pretty much as I expected it would—better than expected with some of the obscure addresses I gave it—and with the included lifetime traffic and map updates it seems like a decent dealcoming in at around $199 in stores. I’m not sure how much the included clunky Wi-Fi function adds to the price but I can’t imagine very many people ever use it. Most people who can afford this device are already going to have a smart phone and a tablet in the car—maybe both.
I had two main beefs with it though that keep me from being totally thrilled with it. First, the dash mount won’t work on an actual dash unless you happen to have one that’s as shiny smooth as glass. Otherwise it’s got to be mounted on the windshield. I know that’s pretty standard, but if my inexpensive Cobra Mount I use for my phone can get around it, surely their design modifications could too.
The more annoying problem is a built-in function that I can’t find a way to disable in the settings: a warning that you are going over the speed limit. Every time you go over by more than 5 mph, the voice goes “Warning! Warning!” The only solution seems to be to slow down—which means everyone is flying by you on the interstate highways—or to turn the sound off. Neither one is very practical, so I ended up just shutting it off when I had a pretty good sense of where I was. I understand why you would need this in a school zone or residential area, but it’s just silly on the open highway, when people routinely set their cruise control 6 or 7 mph over the speed limit just to keep with the traffic flow.
Get the Magellan RoadMate 5175T Traveler GPS at Amazon.
Previous Magellan reviews:
Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on January 12th, 2012
Can a Coffee Mug Be Worth $69?
If you’re familiar with Snow Peak products, you’re probably one of these three types: 1) flush with disposable income 2) a lover of all things Japanese, or 3) a style junkie who thinks the Macbook Air is a good value. (Or of course “all of the above.”)
This being the Practical Travel Gear blog, we don’t make it a habit to review items priced for people who can afford to buy things purely for their aesthetic value, so I’ll start by saying this Kanpai 350 is the best travel coffee mug I have ever used. “Well it had better be” you will probably say, since it has an eye-popping price tag of $69.
“Wha…wha…how much?!” would be your perfectly understandable reply.
Yeah, I hear you. I didn’t buy this mug—the Snow Peak people sent it for me to try out. Despite how much I love it, I probably never could justify laying out that kind of yen-inflated money. Personally, I still don’t get why anyone walks into a Starbucks and spends $5 for something that used to resemble coffee at some point before all the additional ingredients. But some people don’t have to sweat that small stuff and this is certainly one fine piece of design.
First, it looks cool, which is kind of a given from the company who has brought you items like $120 Titanium iPhone cases. Their roots are in camping gear though, so they’re as much about function as design. This is actually a multi-purpose double-walled steel canister that can do more than hold your coffee.
The package comes with three different lids. “One lid is for keeping liquids cold, a second is for keeping them hot, and a third is for drinking.” In other words, you can put icy cold liquid in this and seal it for hours, you can put hot soup in it at dawn and eat hot soup for lunch, or you can use it as a coffee mug.
In my tests with both hot and cold liquids, this Snow Peak canister performed above and beyond the call of duty, with a hot cup of coffee still being hot at lunchtime, for example. With the vacuum seal lid attached, eight hours was no sweat. Despite all that, this thing feels thin and light (10 ounces), without any signs of its double-wall construction.
One cool additional feature—you can put a beer can inside it and you’ve got a one-beer cooler.
Is it worth it? If you’ve got $69 to spend and you’re a sucker for aesthetics, absolutely. If not, then maybe hold out for a yen devaluation or get last year’s model when a new one comes out.
Order direct from Snow Peak or get it at Amazon.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on September 15th, 2011
Cobra Universal Mini Mount for the Dashboard
Almost every time I see a driver doing something stupid or barely missing an accident, it’s because they’re yakking on their phone or looking down at their phone. With this easy-to-use, universal dash mount from Cobra, those boneheads could be using their speakerphone instead and at least be looking in the right direction—the road.
This Mini Mount is truly universal: it attaches onto any kind of dashboard, even the one in my car that seems to have nary a level surface anywhere. Then two adjustment points allow you to turn it multiple angles.
The key question always is, how can this work for multiple phone sizes? This Cobra device works great because of some kind of wonder adhesive that holds an object very securely but doesn’t leave a residue. It’s sticky to the point where it usually takes two hands to remove your phone, so it’s not going flying off the dash if you round a bend too quickly. If two people are using the same car, it can work for two phones.
I was skeptical either of the two adhesion points were going to work well: that this would really stay on my dash and that the phone would stick without getting sticky. This little $25 device proved me wrong though and the mount has now been in place for three weeks—in an overheated summer car even—and all is well.
If you have a smart phone mounted to one of these, all kinds of possibilities open up. You can use a phone navigation system app like CoPilot Live and skip the mounted GPS system altogether. You can use Bluetooth or the speakerphone to get things done while driving safely. You can play the music on your phone through your car stereo.
The Cobra Universal Mini Mount is going on all my future road trips. I’ll be less bored on the road, and less lost, but will still be safe. Some of the real dunces I’ll encounter along the way will be texting behind the wheel, but that’s a level of stupidity that no gadget is going to solve—that requires a brain transplant.
Get the dashboard mount at CobraHandsFree.com (warning, video demo sound comes on automatically) or pick it up at Amazon.
Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear on August 18th, 2011
RingO Universal Tablet Mounting System from Vogel’s
RingO Universal Tablet Mounting System by Vogel's
This convenient mounting system from Vogel’s has a variety of uses and is simple enough to set up at home or when traveling. It can mount to the wall, in the car, or even in the kitchen to use when eating or cooking. On long flights, I often see people folding back the iPad cover to stand it upright for movie watching. But, I am often working on my laptop or watching DVDs on my computer. The reason I find this system so beneficial is that I can use it in my car or in a hotel room to watch my own movies or programming (especially helpful when overseas and there are few English language programs).
Unlike other mounting systems, this device mounts in multiple ways with multiple tablet devices. And the look of the mounting piece is aesthetically pleasing so that it can be a permanent part of your interior décor if you choose.
It is all based on a hidden button that screws onto almost any surface to hold the mounting system in place. Then an aluminum ring snaps into the mount’s button piece holding the iPad securely in place. The ring allows for a total rotation to create easy viewing from any angle.
Vogel’s has experience in flat-screen TV mounting, which is what lends the company such credibility when attaching an expensive iPad to a wall or vibrating service in a car, for example.
A separate flip stand feature lets you put the iPad at the angle that works best for you by clicking the stand into the holder. For travelers, the stand folds over the iPad screen for protection. It can also be attached to the back of a car seat to allow passengers in the back seat to watch a movie.
The best part is that this multiuse system is easy to install with no tools required. It is lightweight enough to travel with on an airplane and is easy to carry for car rides. If you choose to install it permanently into a wall, it can be done with either a drill or an adhesive strip that is strong enough to hold it in place. I have used it in multiple ways and have found it surprisingly easy to use. And, I am not very good with directions!
It comes in various price packages depending on what version you need. There is a home use pack with a holder, table stand and wall mount, or a car pack that adds in a car mount. Public speakers will prefer the presenter pack that features a tablet and flip stand. The All-in-One-Pack has everything included, and can be purchased online at Vogel’s web site or on Amazon.com.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on August 8th, 2011
Serengeti Velocity Sunglasses for Your Glove Compartment
If you visit the websites of companies making sunglasses it can get a little overwhelming. There are sunglasses for fishing, for golf, for snow, for cycling, and on and on. This Velocity model from Serengeti Eyewear though is for when most commuters use their shades the most: while driving.
These are the kind of compact sunglasses everyone used to keep in their glove compartment before giant bug-eye shades that cover half the face became all the rage with fashionable women—and a few too many men. These have a titanium metal frame and the model I’ve been testing has gradient glass lenses. They’re a little darker at the top than they are at the bottom—kind of like a car windshield. So you have dark glass in front of you when your eyes are on the road, but you can see to wipe the coffee you spilled off your pants when you look down. Or if you’re a pilot, you can see all your instruments.
These feel like sunglasses a real adult would wear, someone who is driving a nicer car than I’m usually buzzing around in, actually. I always worry that I’m going to trash sunglasses with elegant metal frames in two weeks flat, but these are far stronger than most and the flexible joints have some give to them. It doesn’t hurt either that these come with a nice hard case. So they won’t get smashed when someone shoves something into the glove compartment on top of them.
These fit into a jacket pocket or shirt pocket easily and they’re very comfortable to wear. I think they look pretty good on me too without dominating my face.
The Velocity gradient driving sunglasses come with espresso or gunmetal color frames. They list for more than $200 but usually retail somewhere in the $115 to $150 range. Get more info at the Serengeti Eyewear site and click the links below to check online prices.
Check Serengeti Velocity prices online
Serengeti Velocity gradient sunglasses at Amazon
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on December 23rd, 2010
