Navigation system redeems GPS' reputation

23.01.2006
If you're a regular reader of Computing South Africa, you will know that I have big issues with GPS technology and the accuracy of the map data. But Garmin has redeemed the reputation of GPS with its Garmin Quest GPS kit, which I used during the holidays.

My holiday to the Kruger Park seemed as good a test as any. Initially, the unit's menu system and user interface take a bit of getting used to, especially if you are used to HandyMap on an iPAQ (which I am). Luckily, it is easy enough to figure out the system without having to consult the user's manual.

What I liked about Quest was the fact that you can navigate right down to address level (i.e. street name and number). While the system was not always 100 percent accurate to the meter, it was accurate enough to get you to where you wanted to go in a reasonable time.

On the subject of accuracy, the map data seemed to be a lot more reliable than other offerings this journalist has used in the past, up to and including those irritating boom-gates and road closures we have all had to endure.

While the Garmin map data did have the vast majority of closed-off areas included, and routing systems took note of them, there were a number of road closures still not included in the data, which could cause some frustration in the event of driving through a totally unknown area.

Quest got us to the Park's Phalaborwa Gate in good time, although I did find it a little difficult finding smaller towns like Dullstroom (via points) using the look-up feature. I often found myself manually navigating the mapped route on the screen to find a town to add as a via point.