Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => GPS => Topic started by: spindrift on 12 June, 2008, 01:52:04 pm
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Satnav maps out best route for cyclists
Mark Prigg, Technology Correspondent
12.06.08
For the cyclist about town it is the ultimate gadget - a satnav to guide you through the streets.
New software, which works on all of Nokia's latest handsets, turns a regular mobile phone into a navigation device that can be attached to a bike using a handlebar mount. The phone displays a map which is constantly updated with the rider's position.
Simon Ainslie, managing director of Nokia UK, said: "In London more people than ever are cycling but finding your way around can be a big problem.
"Our software could get more people riding, as one of the major worries in London is getting lost. Having a satnav really gives you a sense of security."
Some cycling experts have criticised the product, claiming it will distract riders from watching the road.
But Mr Ainslie said: "I use this system every day on my ride to work and we believe that having this device on your bicycle is far safer than having to stop and start on the road constantly while you try to work out where you are."
Satnav maps out best route for cyclists | News (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23494139-details/Satnav%20maps%20out%20best%20route%20for%20cyclists/article.do?expand=true#StartComments)
Who in the name of left-handed Greek buggery
would need a satnav for their commute EVERY DAY!!!!111eleven.
All you need to do is, errr, remember where you're going.
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Well if your watching your SatNav all the way you won't be taking any notice of the buildings etc around you and so won't have a clue how you got there :)
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They should do a Zimmer-frame-mounted LavNav for befuddled pensioners:
Left at stairs, open door with "The Littlest Room" on it, removes pants for correct bum, you have arrived at your destination.
Plays theme from Emmerdale, £149.99
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I need a compass to get around London without ending up up the Tottenham Court Road or the A30 by mistake... :-[
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I need a compass to get around London without ending up up the Tottenham Court Road or the A30 by mistake... :-[
Ah - but you're a hick from the sticks so that's permissible... ;D
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Thanks for this Spindrift - it's truly staggering to think that getting lost is such a problem.
I have got lost on my commute before, but only in the sense of trying out an alternative route for a bit and then finding I'm pointing in the wrong direction when I reappear on a major road or when I see where the sun is.
I'd be more worried about being taken out by a cyclist who is watching a gadget on his or her handlebars.
"Having a satnav really gives you a sense of security" - I just love this idea. A friend of mine took his satnav device with him on a boat trip on the Bosphorus and it told him he was 60m above sea level. He felt very secure as a result.
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He felt very secure as a result.
heh. How long before a cyclist pedals into a canal "Cos the satnav told me!"
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Pah - Phil has had a GPS on his Nokia mobile phone since last year.
Funnily enough - he still gets lost as much when it's turned on as when it's turned off...
::-)
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TBH, I still get lost in the city all the time, that place is a warren. I still use my knowledge of the tube system/bus routes as my basic plan for getting round London.
You'd only look at Sat Nav when you're stopped anyway. Cycling in London is ludicrously stop-start for most.
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Interesting stuff, time to upgrade my Nokia 3410 me thinks ;D
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I wouldn't need it for my home town, but I would probably use it in London - my travel through there has always been via tube in the past, so roads don't feature in my knowledge bank. The N82 was useful last week, as it allowed me to zoom into a feature that wasn't at all clear on the paper map. That saved us a grim A-road dice with the tipper trucks.
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Who in the name of left-handed Greek buggery
would need a satnav for their commute EVERY DAY!!!!111eleven.
Either:
The MD of Nokia UK who wants to be sure the thing works consistently before singing its praises
Or:
Someone who wants to try out lots of different routes.
London is fantastic for that - there can be hundreds of different routes with very little difference in distance, the speed or attractiveness can vary hugely so they're all worth trying out. When I lived in London I had at least 15 "favourite" routes between Greenwich and the West End, having tried out many more alternatives.
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It is a media strike against iPhone2
Effectively he is saying that Nokia handsets do it now, whilst iPhone2 isn't out until 11th July.
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Consume and buy more shite
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Who in the name of left-handed Greek buggery
would need a satnav for their commute EVERY DAY!!!!111eleven.
Either:
The MD of Nokia UK who wants to be sure the thing works consistently before singing its praises
Or:
Someone who wants to try out lots of different routes.
London is fantastic for that - there can be hundreds of different routes with very little difference in distance, the speed or attractiveness can vary hugely so they're all worth trying out. When I lived in London I had at least 15 "favourite" routes between Greenwich and the West End, having tried out many more alternatives.
Did you ever use sat nav?
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Noted this in the comments:
Improvements Nokia could consider for future versions: (a) the screen goes blank when the cyclist leaves the road and rides on the pavement (b) pedestrian crossings flash up in yellow with the relevant section of the Highway Code in capital letters (c) a wi-fi link to the traffic light system, so that the brakes are automatically applied at red lights
::-) ;D
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They should do a Zimmer-frame-mounted LavNav for befuddled pensioners:
Left at stairs, open door with "The Littlest Room" on it, removes pants for correct bum, you have arrived at your destination.
Plays theme from Emmerdale, £149.99
For those who have mobile phones and might get caught short, there's SatLav to help you locate the nearest bog...
80097 at your convenience...
[Edit] Has anyone here ever tried or used SatLav?
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Hmm.. need to renegotiate with my current mobile supplier as I am out of contract as of today (ie I can cancel..) Time to give them a call methinks (New phone and a data thingy would be good.)
..d
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I had noticed that Nokia were sponsoring BikeWeek, so I was waiting for some SatNav-related marketing.
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They should do a Zimmer-frame-mounted LavNav for befuddled pensioners:
Left at stairs, open door with "The Littlest Room" on it, removes pants for correct bum, you have arrived at your destination.
Plays theme from Emmerdale, £149.99
For those who have mobile phones and might get caught short, there's SatLav to help you locate the nearest bog...
80097 at your convenience...
[Edit] Has anyone here ever tried or used SatLav?
Manly voice 'any upright object love' manly voice off
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Personally, I've found my GPS really useful on the bike, I'm often going places in London that I don't know.
Clarion and Arellcat will LOL at this - none of us knew the way to BikeFix, so were following my Garmin, but it lost signal amongst the tall buildings as it's only a Vista Cx. There was enough guidance to get us there though, with only a slightly longer than ideal route.
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Amazing grace! how sweet the sound
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
must have had a Satnav ;D
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He felt very secure as a result.
heh. How long before a cyclist pedals into a canal "Cos the satnav told me!"
Do we know anyone who might do such a thing?
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Has no-one noticed the catch here......
These phones do not have built in maps or GPS - as a result they use the call and data transfer to keep you up to date.
Lots of dosh for the company as you download (continuously?) data and maps.
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Nokia Yes, iPhone on O2 no. Data is included. Also Google Maps which is rather good.
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Nokia Yes, iPhone on O2 no. Data is included. Also Google Maps which is rather good.
I think Nokia can use a bluetooth GPS unit which IIRC has downloaded maps.
..d
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Has no-one noticed the catch here......
These phones do not have built in maps or GPS - as a result they use the call and data transfer to keep you up to date.
Lots of dosh for the company as you download (continuously?) data and maps.
My N82 has the GPS chipset and functionality built in, but can also use the network if required. Nokia Maps is free software, and comes with the phone. If you download the map tool to your pc, you can download the maps to it, and use the tool to transfer them to the phone. No network charges need apply. The only part you pay for is if you want the SatNav voice directions.
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He felt very secure as a result.
heh. How long before a cyclist pedals into a canal "Cos the satnav told me!"
Do we know anyone who might do such a thing?
Oi! >:( I didn't have the GPS with me at the time... following a tow path isn't that difficult.
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These phones do not have built in maps or GPS - as a result they use the call and data transfer to keep you up to date. Lots of dosh for the company as you download (continuously?) data and maps.
I'd love a setup that did that and used Google Earth. That would absolutely rock. Street View to check you're in the right place? Awesome. Provided I was on a fat 3G all-you-can-eat data tariff, that is. But that's exactly what rich mobile data is for, isn't it? If you're not planning to gorge yourself gouty on data, why buy a 3G device in the first place...
(iPhone 2.0, Android, I'm looking at you, but wistfully unless my luck changes)
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I have a Sony Ericsson K770i (think that's the right model).
Comes with Google maps. Yeah, I have to pay for data downloads. But I wouldn't use it much, just when uncertain of where I am. Takes maybe a minute to load and zoom in, I can see the satellite pictures or map view.
Dead useful if on a strange route and feeling a bit lost.
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Oi! >:( I didn't have the GPS with me at the time... following a tow path isn't that difficult.
I thought that your experience was otherwise :D
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Oi! >:( I didn't have the GPS with me at the time... following a tow path isn't that difficult.
I thought that your experience was otherwise :D
***Looks for two-fingered smiley***
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***Looks for two-fingered smiley***
:o
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London is fantastic for that - there can be hundreds of different routes...
What kind of satnav is this? Is it a walking type GPS where you plan the route in advance on a PC, or a car-type satnav that figures out the route for you?
Cos satnavs don't understand the idea of hundreds of different routes. They just want to take you on the shortest or quickest.
And they really don't understand circular rides. "What do you mean, 'What is the best route from A to A?'"
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Car satnavs don't understand the meaning of 'best'. Yesterday morning best=shortest. In the evening, best = most scenic. There was a significant difference in length between the two (and an even more significant difference in the number of hills).
..d