GPS: Whoops, You Just Missed It!

I rented my first GPS I think five years ago this week, at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, on a trip out to Geauga County. Cost me $7-$8 bucks per day. I had trouble figuring out how to use it and started kicking myself for playing with such an expensive toy. But at last I uncovered its secret and I must say—the little gadget paid for itself in the first 20 minutes or so as I threaded my way through dark, rainy streets from the airport out to the expressway. From then on—well, northeast Ohio is flat and most of the roads of are straight so I could have found my way pretty much with my eyes closed.

Still, I was glad I’d done it, and just as glad next spring when I found that Mrs. B’s new Camry would come with a GPS built in.

But in fact, we almost never use it: like most drivers, most of our driving is on familiar routes, where we know the pattern better than the device. We do tend to pick up the option on vacation renters, though. I guess our main use is finding restaurants: I believe I wrote a piece a few months back about how I used a GPS to find a restaurant in Fresno. And I remember we used one to find the cheapest milkshake in Racine WI.

So on the one hand, we don’t need one all that bad. Meanwhile, it seems that the GPS is migrating elsewhere (link). I mean, I haven’t started Googling on my cellphone yet, but I know I will soon—and when I get there, I gather Google maps will be there waiting for me.

So goodbye, GPS—we barely had a chance to get to know you.

H/T: Kedrosky.