"Traffic Ready" GPS?

[djmcmath]

I just stumbled across Garmin's "Traffic Ready" Street Pilot 2720. I've driven with the earlier units, and I'm pretty pleased with their basic navigational ability. These new units are radical, though: the claim is that it takes input from an external traffic service to route you to your location via the quickest means, where actual real-time traffic on the street is considered as weighting in the routing algorithm. Has anyone seen these live? Do they work reasonably well? What are the limitations?


TIA

[Don 944 LA]

my custom prototype system has the ability to bring up current traffic info. Here in SoCal, I use Caltrans data.


Its a complete waste of money for the highly overpriced units on the market today ..

Mine also will alert you to photo traffic cameras ( mainly in Europe )..

[efhughes3]

It's amazing how this stuff progresses. I'm getting to where I'm frustrated in the abilitiy of the built-in GPS in my '03 G35, and it's inability to pick logical routes sometimes. Typically, this is with surface streets that are indeed in it's database. It'll be interesting to see what comes down in the near future, provided "Big Brother" and the Insurance Companies don't get data back on their end.

PS- I was chuckling to myself the other day...I looked at my radar detector, my cell phone, GPS, Sirius receiver and thought I was pretty well dialed in with the Cosmos

[Joeaksa]

Dan,

They have used it in Europe for years. They also have "traffic alert" features on all car radios that get a signal in your area when there has been an accident. Gives you time to turn off of the highway or find another alternate route.

Their GPS units take this into account and plot a different route. Wish we could just adopt their stuff here rather than having to "be different" and reinvent the wheel over here.

Joe A

[djmcmath]

Originally posted by Don 944 LA
Its a complete waste of money for the highly overpriced units on the market today ..

Well that's a positive endorsement. Thanks for the heads-up! It seems like it'd be a brilliant idea, but if it's not ready yet, then I don't feel like spending $1000 to be a Guinea Pig.

[Joeaksa]

Dan,

Take the list price and then look on Ebay. Bought my Garmin there a few years back, it had been on the market a few months. List was $1400, I paid $720 for it new in the box with factory warranty. Worked great ever since.

JoeA

[tabs]

Can Pay For Road Use and Pay By the Mile auto insurance be far behind???????

[RickM]

The "smart" GPS systems have been in the works for a while. From what I've seen they are only supported in a few places.