Here ’s a sight that might unnerve appendage of the Neighborhood Watch : A car is slowly driving down the street , as the rider inside make notes on electronic tablets . Even from the exterior , it ’s impossible to miss the amount of equipment in the car – there are computer Monitor and video cameras on the frontdashboard . Is this a gang casing the neighborhood ? Will a twine of burglaries or snatch follow ? Just what are the the great unwashed in that cable car doing ?
While it ’s always a expert thought to report suspicious activity to the authorities , in this shell , you might find out that the grouping was perform a more innocuous service . Every day , field agentive role from Navteq , the United States ' largest digital single-valued function company , are out and about in car and on base , ensuring that their map are correct and up - to - date . Their railcar are updated with gamey - tech equipment that leave them to collect data point on the go , and if there ’s an area that ’s unaccessible by car , they ’ll head out with handheld equipment to fill in their research .
With the Modern selective information , Navteq updates its digital map aggregation , and then sells it to companies likeGarmin , which produce theGPS devicesthat many of us have number to rely on for get around . Garmin , in turn , codes the info so that it ’s compatible with specific equipment and offers it to customers in the form of map updates . While GPS organisation owners may also need casual software update , the single-valued function update may be the most important if you want to maximise the effectualness of your GPS equipment .
There ’s a locution that as soon as you corrupt a fresh car or electronic computer , they ’re out of date . single-valued function are much the same path . Between road twist and restaurants go out of business , last twelvemonth ’s map may not get you to where you desire to go . Find out how to get the all - important Garmin update on the next page .
How to Get Garmin Updates
instal Garmin updates is fairly simple . you could determine whether you have the late software by accessing your twist ’s setting ( usually done by tapping on the pull icon ) . you could compare your mount to the latest ones list on Garmin ’s Web website .
The map update are available in either a hard copy disc data format or as an online download . If you take to go with the hard written matter option , you order the disc from Garmin , imitate it to your computer and attach your Garmin to the data processor to synchronize the gimmick .
If you ’d rather not waitress for your local letter carrier to fetch you the newfangled map , you may download the single-valued function update directly from Garmin ’s Web site . Before you do so , you ’ll want to ensure you have tolerable space for the download on both your computer and your Garmin – the update will first be copy to your reckoner and then to the gadget . And because this is such a sizable download , only gamy - velocity cyberspace will do ; DSL and dial - up fans should order the hard transcript .
To commence the download , associate your Garmin to your computer with a USB cord . Then , you could click the update you want on Garmin ’s connection site ( update may dissent slightly depending on which model of Garmin you own ) . The update has intuitive , step - by - step charge for launching the update . One thing to remember , though : When the menu provide you with a in series number , be sure to make promissory note of it . You will be asked to go in it afterwards in the update ( a successive number is also provided with the magnetic disc ) . The serial number can only be used once , so unfortunately , you ca n’t update numerous Garmins with one map update . Once the download begins , it may take several hours to complete . If your Garmin gadget needs any software package updates , these will usually be instal as the map update is .
While most software updates are detached , there ’s a fee for the map updates , which may function as much as several hundred dollars . However , depend on when you bought yourGPS organisation , you may be eligible for a free upgrade ; you could recover out if you qualify by checking Garmin ’s World Wide Web site or meet the customer service directly .
In 2009 , Garmin announced a fresh program in which users could receive regular function updates for as long as they owned the twist for a exclusive upfront fee . The program may make it easy for customers to have the late information , but there are some users that have bristle at having pay any additional fees to uphold a previously purchased Garmin . However , the benefits to the updates can outweigh the costs . regain out more about welfare of Garmin updates on the next Thomas Nelson Page .
Benefits of Garmin Updates
Perhaps the work and cost assort with Garmin updates seems a bit ridiculous to you . After all , did n’t you already buy the twist so you would n’t get misplace ? Should n’t it be exact for more than a few years ? To answer that dubiousness , it ’s worth survey how your Garmin works . When the Garmin receive planet signals about your positioning , it ’s only ply with your spheric positioning , not where you are in relation to a street storage-battery grid . To theGPSsatellites , it ’s irrelevant whether you ’re traveling down a one - way street ; you ’re merely a mote moving in relation to your last known position .
To maximize the directional feature of a Garmin , however , you ’ll need an precise mathematical function . Many affair serve to make mapping disused in a short period of time . The names of streets may change . Highway way out could shut to accommodate roadway building . New traffic laws may permit actions such as left turns during peak travel time . Gas stations , ATM and firm food for thought chains may open at a new emplacement , while other restaurants , hotel and store are forced to close . If you really do desire to use your Global Positioning System to find the dear Italian eatery and the quickest fashion to get there , then Garmin function updates are essential .
It ’s prosperous to imagine the consequences of an out - of - date Garmin : You ’re drive around , looking for that left - hand spell you ’re supposed to make , only to find out that an entire metropolis pulley-block has been convert to a parking service department . Even if you ’re not in a rushing , that would be thwarting , but remember of the tensity if you ’re seek to make a doc ’s appointment or chore interview . Imagine the meter and gas you ’d desolate during a vacation if the friendly electronic voice emanating from your Garmin could n’t settle your hotel .
If you use a Garmin only sporadically , then it ’s possible that you do n’t postulate every single map update . But if you rely on your Garmin to get you around , peculiarly in unfamiliar locale , then veritable map updates insure that you ’re on the correct path . After all , you would n’t direct visitors out to explore your hometown with a function from the 1850s ; with the amount of structure that happens every day , drive with an out - of - date Garmin would be much the same .
For more on GPS and other coolcar gadgets , see the link on the next page .
