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February 10, 2012
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Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
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Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
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Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
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Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
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Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
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Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
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January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
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John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
August 3, 2007
/ 19 Menachem-Av, 5767
Delphi offers onboard navigation, traffic
By
Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Buyers of the latest automobiles can obtain in-car navigation systems which also add real-time traffic reports. For the rest of us, GPS systems have long been available, but without the addition of traffic info, at least until now.
For several weeks, I've subjected the Delphi NAV200 to concerted testing. For $449, you get a package which equals some of the systems I've seen advertised on the new car commercials without the attendant subscription fees.
While no two products in this category can be truly equivalent navigation software differs, for one thing the Delphi solution offers what I believe is a good value, especially if your car is recent enough that you're not thinking of a trade-in right now.
In common with some other recent products, including the far-less-than-desirable Magellan RoadMate 6000T, the NAV200 tries to do a lot. Along with the navigation system, there's an MP3 player, a photo viewer, a world clock, a calculator and even a game. Then again, the NAV200 is detachable and can be carried around as a personal GPS.
However, my sense is that most of these units will spend their time in a vehicle; the extra features may be distractions at best. Frankly, I'd be happy with fewer options, but that's me.
In operation, the Delphi takes a bit of getting used to: select "navigation" from the menu and you must first agree to a disclaimer about safely using a GPS before the navigation mode kicks in. The display is clear, unless sunlight is hitting it; the colors then are washed out and the map hard to follow. Repositioning helps, as do overpasses; there's a night mode display setting that makes things a bit easier after dark.
Unlike some units, there's not much in the way of voice options; the volume control is a help, keeping the robotic "speaker" at an acceptable level. I couldn't find a way to show a series of turn-by-turn directions, but the unit was very good in providing the right guidance at the proper moment.
What really makes this unit interesting, though, adding the $199 "Real Time Traffic Kit" (which I already did in pricing the total package at $449). This kit utilizes Radio Data System-Traffic Message Channel (RDS-TMC) technology, a service of Clear Channel Communications, to update your travel route and, when necessary, interrupt your directions to alert you to a problem just up ahead. There's no reading of the warning, but a visual signal, and a recommendation of either "ignore" or "reroute."
It was an "ignore" that flashed before my eyes Friday morning as I was heading over to an office in Greenbelt, Maryland. An accident had slowed traffic on the 495 "Beltway," but there really was no alternative, and I was guided accordingly. Such a "co-pilot" is invaluable, especially for those driving in one of the 68 markets in which this service is available.
What's not to like about the NAV200? Those extra features, as noted, are distracting, as is the constant need to OK a disclaimer when seeking navigation. The unit somehow thinks my residence is in a "government restricted area," and won't store my street address; using geographic coordinates, however, gets me to and from home easily. I'd also like to see a way to override things such as the notion that I live in a secret Federal location, which I don't.
But the NAV200 is a very good start for a combination of technologies most of us living in or near cities will continue to need out into the future. Traffic isn't getting any lighter, and congestion is inevitable. If $449 is the price of avoiding at least some it, it's a reasonable price, indeed. Details at www.shopdelphi.com.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
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© 2007, News World Communications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times. Visit the paper at http://www.washingtontimes.com
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