Re: Latest Tech Review-Sony/Etak GPS
From: Don (donshir@aol.com)
Sun, 3 Jun 2001 18:42:51 -0500 (CDT)
Hi,
I saw the Sony GPS for sale a few years ago but now, although I have
searched for hours on the net, I can't seem to find a seller. Does
anyone sell these anymore? Thanks for you help. Don
At Sun, 27 Sep 1998, Edward Zabrek, M.D. wrote:
>
>Never Get Lost Again! with Sony's SkyMap Pro(r)
>
>Several months ago, while perusing through a non-medical journal, I noticed an
>advertisement for the Sony SkyMap Pro(r). It touted itself as the "Ultimate
>GPS
>and Map system for the Mobile Professional." I was so intrigued, I called the
>toll free phone number listed in the ad (1-888-2-SKYMAP or 888-275-9627).
>Expecting to hear the word Sony when greeted from the voice on the other side,
>they answered "ETAK". "ETAK?," I asked. "Yes," they answered, we are a
>subsidiary of Sony Corp. of America (http://www.etak.com/startGPS). The rest, as they
>say, is history. I ordered a SkyMap Pro® unit, and after receiving it, was
>excited to set it up in my subnotebook computer for use in my car.
>
>Many of you may already know that GPS (Global Positioning Systems) will become
>an optional accessory in high end vehicles over the next few years. Currently
>Mercedes, Lexus, BMW, and Acura are placing “in-vehicle navigation systems” in
>the dash console of their most expensive vehicles. (Add-on cost is
>$2000-$3000.00 US.) The Windows CE engine will be used for the new AutoPC™,
>which is not yet available. These units will be priced between $900-$1500,
>and
>will incorporate many functions, including GPS and directional navigation.
>(Interesting note: . Etak will be providing real-time traffic information for
>these devices, manufactured by Clarion and several other companies.) You can
>expect this option to trickle to lower end vehicles from all manufacturers
>within the next two to five years. Several car rental companies are also
>providing in-vehicle navigation systems in some of their higher end rental
>cars.
>(I highly recommend that if you have an opportunity to rent one of these cars
>in a totally unfamiliar city, and try it out.)
>
>For those of you who want a GPS device in their car NOW, for about $300.00
>(utilizing your existing IBM compatible laptop computer), you can get the
>SkyMap Pro(r), and have it up and running in any vehicle in less than thirty
>minutes.
>Minimal requirements for the SkyMap Pro to work optimally are:
>[ ] 486 PC processor, with 75 MHz or better
>[ ] PCMCIA Type II slot
>[ ] VGA display with at least 640 x480 resolution
>[ ] 2X CD-ROM drive
>[ ] Windows 95/98
>[ ] 20 MB of free hard-disk space.
>
>The GPS antenna is about the size of a small pager (2.9" x 2.3" x 1.2 ")
>attached to the PCMCIA card with a 59 inch thin cable. It weighs about 3 oz..
>
>It is not necessary to load any or all of the maps onto your hard drive. It
>is,
>however, recommended that, for faster access, you install the maps on your
>hard
>drive you are going to use. You can add or delete maps to or from your hard
>drive easily, any time your needs change. The larger cities are comprised of
>multiple "Detail Maps". There is a special screen for this grouping entitled
>"Major Metropolitan Areas." Another screen titled "Cities and Counties" allows
>you to choose additional maps not listed in the "Major Metropolitan Areas".
>
>USING SKYMAP PRO (r)
>
>Once you've loaded your pertinent city/county information into your laptop,
>you
>are ready to roll! Take your laptop (with the PCMCIA GPS in the computer's
>card
>slot), and the included remote control, to your car. When you first double
>click the SkyMap Pro(r) icon on your desktop, the unit sets itself, and small
>print in the lower corner of the logo screen warns: "Do not use this
>product in
>any way that interferes with safe vehicle operation. Always secure system
>components." You will also get a similar warning when you are using the
>program
>and attempt to use the mouse or keyboard while driving.
>If you are alone, I recommend that you place your laptop in a padded case, and
>secure it in an area of the vehicle so that quick stops wont send it to the
>floor (or worse yet, through the window, or even worse, into your face!) To be
>honest, I think that it is safest to use this device with a human co-pilot.
>This will add safety for both you and your computer. Your co-navigator can act
>as a map reader and direct you where you need to go. (In the beginning, you
>will be tempted to look at the computer because you won' t believe how damned
>accurate this thing is! As you pass street signs and look up, your computer
>"knows" exactly where you are.
>
>SkyMap(r) Pro provides detailed maps of all 50 states on 2 CD-ROMs. Also
>included with the installation are addresses and phone numbers for over 500,00
>businesses. Once loaded, searchable points of interest and business listings
>can help you locate airports, lodging, rental cars, stores, restaurants,
>theaters, and sports arenas, to name a few. Diagrams of major US airports and
>travel-related toll-free reservation numbers are also included. Two "live"
>overlay panels are available. One shows you the GPS signal strength. A second
>panel displays current and elapsed time; distance to or from your destination;
>current or average speed; location: current longitude, latitude, and
>elevation;
>and a compass showing you your orientation and direction of travel. All of
>these displays can be optionally turned on or off.
>
>You can use SkyMap(r) Pro to track your travel time and mileage. (Take that
>IRS!) Human voice "alerts" provide status updates of speed, heading, distance
>to destination and more. You can record and save trips to be displayed at a
>later date on the preloaded maps. SkyMap(r) Pro boasts "powerful contact
>management" with its import and export wizards. The address book can import a
>wide variety of file formats (including, Access, ACT!, and Excel.)
>If you dare to try this alone, the included remote control does assist you
>with
>panning and zooming in and out of maps, along with giving you a constant
>"North
>Up" reference at the push of a button on your remote. While traveling, you can
>"see" your position on the street or highway as a small "flame-like"
>circle. (I
>wonder if this was purposely chosen as reminder icon as to what your car and
>you will look like if you don't heed the warning and try to operate your
>laptop
>while driving.) It is all quite amazing and fascinating to see how accurate
>this whole process is. I found about a five second delay (looking at landmarks
>around me) from the actual car location, and the flame icon. (When you stop,
>the flame catches up with you.)
>
>I initially tried out this miraculous device around my home stomping
>grounds in
>Houston, Texas. I was truly amazed to see how accurate it was. The much
>traveled route from my home to the hospital carried new meaning when I
>actually
>was able to view my short-cuts "live" and realize exactly how much longer they
>actually were.
>
>My next test came when I took the whole shebang to Seattle while working on a
>project for Sieman's Ultrasound. (Note: I preloaded all of the appropriate
>information from the CD-ROM for the Seattle metropolitan area.) I used to
>own a
>piece of land in a neighborhood on a mountain overlooking a lake in Issaquah,
>Washington. I wanted to see if the new owners had started building on the
>property, I had an idea how to get there. For fun, I took the SkyMap(r) GPS
>with me (just in case, and just for fun). I soon realized that I did not
>remember exactly how to get there, and was sorely lost. I pulled over to the
>side of the road and searched out the address using the search feature of the
>SkyMap Pro(r). Much to my surprise, it found it. I was pretty close, and
>easily drove to the lot without any more difficulty.
>
>The SkyMap(r) GPS will also display a route on the Overview Map by choosing a
>starting and ending point. I was scheduled to have dinner at Doug Whisler’s
>house (the OBGYN.NET ultrasound corporate liaison with Sieman's Ultrasound
>Group). He phoned my hotel, and knowing that I was going to be testing the
>SkyMap Pro(r) GPS, gave me his address and zipcode. I entered that information
>into the SkyMap(r) program, and less than 5 seconds later, I was viewing
>Doug's
>neighborhood with all of the cross streets on the map. I added this
>information
>to the included address book function, and placed a marker on the map so
>that I
>would have a permanent reminder of Doug's house for this and future visits.
>(Note: it is not necessary to have the PCMCIA GPS card in the slot as you
>utilize this feature.)
>I then entered the address of my hotel into the "routing manager" feature of
>the SkyMap(r). Using this routing feature, I placed a green "start" flag on
>the
>map where my hotel sits. I then went back to the address book and searched for
>and located Doug's house on the map. Again, using the "routing manager", I
>placed a black "stop" flag over this area. I then clicked the "calc route"
>button within the routing manager menu box, and was instructed that the SkyMap
>Pro(r) would automatically plot out my route. In less than thirty seconds, a
>purple line (a la the AAA Trip-Tik(c)) was laid down on the major highways of
>the Seattle city map. A printable (and "save as a file") description (of the
>route was then available with a click of a button). Here is the actual
>description of the route (as pasted directly from the SkyMap(r) "routing
>manager".):
>
>>From Starting way point to final way point
>You are on InterState 5:
>Go South on InterState 5 for 4.1 miles to SPOKANE ST.
>Go West on SPOKANE ST for 0.5 miles to State Highway 99.
>Go South on State Highway 99 for 2.4 miles to State Highway 509.
>Go South on State Highway 509 for 5.5 miles.
>You have reached the end of the trip.
>
>Total Trip Distance: 12.5 miles.
>
>Copyright © Etak, Inc. 1984-1998
>
>I noticed that the purple highlighted route path did not extend completely to
>the final destination, but was not concerned because I figured that as I got
>closer to Doug's house, the purple line would magically appear. Unfortunately,
>it did not. (Note: I talked with Etak about this. They explained that
>smaller
>roads change all of the time. As a result, more detailed information could be
>misleading. They also said that the demand for this feature is so great, it
>will appear in the next version of the software.) The lack of “complete”
>directions did not impede my progress. (I did bring Doug's phone number with
>me, just in case, but aside from that, had not other instructions to use. I
>should also note that Doug's house is in a rather obscure, very beautiful area
>on the outskirts of Seattle. I set my sites on the "black flag" that denoted
>Doug's house, and kept that little flame of a logo heading in the direction of
>Doug's house. (An arrow also kept “pointing” to the direction of the final
>destination.) Without further difficulty, I noticed that the flame was very
>close to the black flag. I HAD ARRIVED!! The SkyMap Pro(r) functioned
>flawlessly. Both Doug and I were very impressed. I used the “flame” icon
>alone
>to get me back to my hotel and it functioned flawlessly.
>
>I must admit, I have been truly impressed the Etak/Sony SkyMap Pro(r)! Its
>value and function is like nothing I have ever seen or used to date. (Laptop
>add-on GPS products from other manufacturers will appear in future reviews.
>Also be aware that the maps you are viewing are not "live". Construction,
>street closures (temporary and permanent), detours, etc. will not show up on
>your map (remember, they were loaded from the CD's).
>
>Future advances in GPS technology will bring us "live updates" in construction
>and traffic patterns.
>I spoke with Etak about this and they informed me that they are the only
>company
>providing real-time traffic information on a nationwide basis. Much of this
>technology depends more upon the ability of the hardware device to receive
>info. For example, the laptop would need to be able to receive wireless
>transmission of such information. Etak currently sends this sort of
>information to websites (check out http://www.etaktraffic.com), but to be really
>useful, you want the information live, while it is happening. The new AutoPC
>units should have such capability and, when laptops can handle it, Etak add it
>to SkyMap.
>
>In summary, If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive way to try out GPS
>technology, I highly recommend the Sony SkyMap Pro(r) unit! I know that I
>won’t
>leave Houston (and drive in an unfamiliar city) without it!
