Garmin adds satellite imaging to satnavs
See photos of every turning
Cloud storage: Lower cost and increase uptime
Getting stuck down one-way country paths because that's where your satnav told you to go should soon become a thing of the past, because Garmin plans to add bird’s eye view satellite images to selected models.
Garmin's BirdsEye images should make navigation easier
The firm’s BirdsEye Satellite Imagery technology will essentially allow satnav owners to see exactly where the "next turning on the left" is — and where the path goes.
BirdsEye’s image library was compiled using satellite photos, Garmin promised. Each is geo-referenced and the collection highlights everything from roads and rivers to buildings and landscape features.
Users can also view images at zoom levels of between 12 miles and 20 feet, Garmin added.
Google Maps already does this kind of thing, of course, and is cheaper. But it doesn't provide the turn-by-turn spoken guidance that the Garmin satnavs will offer.
BirdsEye will initially be supported on Garmin’s Oregon, Dakota and Colorado ranges of handheld GPS devices, though windscreen mounts are available for all three. Annual subscription to the imagery add-on - set to launch in March - will cost £22. ®
COMMENTS
Google Maps...
"...doesn't provide the turn-by-turn spoken guidance that the Garmin satnavs will offer."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but erm - Android 1.6+ ?
Worrying development
It worries me slightly that the rural lanes will be littered with wrecks of vehicles driven by people who were engaged in aerial photointerpretation instead of looking out of the window.
Hey, how about Garmin and Google and Nintendo get together to do a virtual driving app! You could go sightseeing from the comfort of your armchair, no fuel burn, the Himalayan glaciers would renew themselves, [allegedly], you'd get to see all that wonderful scenery, and all the hideous tourist facilities that disfigure beautiful places would wither away!
STOP sign, because you can't read those from aerial imagery.
Hmmm
"But it doesn't provide the turn-by-turn spoken guidance that the Garmin satnavs will offer."
Not yet anyway.
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
Steps to Take Before Choosing a Business Continuity Partner
Requirements Checklist for Choosing a Cloud Backup and Recovery Service Provider
Cloud storage: Lower cost and increase uptime
SaaS data loss: The problem you didn’t know you had
