“Go straight, take a left at papey’s fast food joint and then proceed to the right after you reach the market.” In India, where road directions are given based on local landmarks, being a GPS manufacturer/service provider can be quite a task.
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Garmin Nuvi 215 GPS |
Cars in US and Europe normally have inbuilt GPS devices. But the Indian mass market is yet to get used to the whole concept of satellite navigation.
Garmin satellite navigation units have been in India for some time now. But we have doubts about the progress they have made so far. A good proportion of their clients are people in the radio taxi industry, car & bike rally enthusiasts and one-off travelers who trust satellite navigation over the traditional methods.
Garmin’s Nuvi 215, a navigation device available in India, is not a very fancy or high-end product.
The litmus test for a navigation device is its effectiveness in route mapping on India roads. The condition of our roads, some of which are dug to lay water pipes; some blocked by the electricity board for whatever reason and some unauthorized ones, can make the navigation providers’ job a nightmare.
From the hardware point of view, the Nuvi 215 is a compact device that doesn’t take up much space in your car. With a 3.5-inch screen and weighing less than 145 gm, you can easily slip it into your pocket.
Its touchscreen comes with a 320x240 pixel resolution and the build quality is decent. It is powered via a mini USB port that can be used for transferring data onto its microSD card.
This personal navigation device is an entry-level product and is not exactly loaded to the hilt. But it does have some applications such as Picture Viewer, Unit Converter, World Clock and Calculator. One of the interesting features it offers is the Bluetooth, which can be linked to your mobile handset that lets you use the device as an external mic and speaker for your phone.
However, its touch technology is not up to the mark. Its response is delayed and the user needs to have a lot of patience. The initial time it takes to set up a link with the roving satellites can be very long. But once it makes contact, then every time you switch it on, it manages to come alive pretty quickly.
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