Wize Blog

Great Resources for Planning Your Vacations

There are so many great resources available on the Web to help people with their trip planning. It's revolutionary when you think back to a few years ago when there was no way to gather and parse through all of the information about places. Traveling abroad was a different experience because much of the exploration and research could only be done in the location itself. Now there are sleek, easy-to-use resources in abundance on the Web.

Let's say for example you are planning a trip to Europe and know that you want to really explore the countries you will be visiting. One of the many ways to do so would be to rent a car and drive yourself around. Obviously, you'd want to ensure that you have a great GPS Device that has International Maps included. According to Wize.com, the best GPS Device for International Travel is the Tom Tom GO 920.

Once you have that part of your vacation set to go, there's another great comprehensive resource available that can help you with your trip planning. I recently came across this great service that can help centralize your trip planning called: NileGuide Trip Planner. It's a very simple, and easy-to-use site that can help you figure out a custom plan for your trip and also let you print out a guide! The old days of outdated published guides may be over as people now have the opportunity to do the same thing with real-time, custom information.

GPS Digital Camera from Ricoh

When you fit a SE-3 module that provides both position and direction to the Ricoh 500SE camera, it can tell you exactly where you are and record it with your image.

Without the module, images from the 500SE are just points on a map without an indication of which direction the camera is facing.

Ricoh also has two models of the Caplio 500SE, a model W and a model B. You can transfer photo data to PCs and other devices supporting Bluetooth and/or wireless LAN with both models.

You can also connect the Caplio 500SE wirelessly with a Bluetooth compatible GPS device to add location information to your photo data.

The cameras also have an antiblur function and a flash range of 10 meters.

What is the Node Explorer

Jon goes to the zoo with his guide the Node Explorer, a kind of GPS gadget. Too bad he pays more attention to his gadget than the zoo animals around him. Interesting gadget anyway. Please watch--

Dash Express--Two-Way Connected Device

The price for the GPS system, Dash Express, has dropped to $300 from $400.

Dash Express collects current traffic speeds from other Dash owners and road sensors and other sources so that members of the network have all the latest data to give you the best directions.

You get up to 3 ways to get to your destination. You can get info from the Internet by using Yahoo local search.

Cellular and WiFi networks give constant access. You can also make a list of preferred destinations.

According to the Dash Express Web site, "The Dash Express wirelessly connects using both cellular and Wi-Fi radios. For cellular, Dash uses a cellular network composed of multiple carriers, so its coverage range is larger than any single national carrier."

Most importantly, voice guidance gives you the street for your next turn.

The only drawback of the system is it only gets 2 hours for each battery charge.

Altek GPS-Enabled Camera

Now it's time to take a closer look at the Altek GPS-Enabled Camera. First, it's expected to ship sometime in the second quarter of 2008.

The 8MP camera will have a 3-inch touchscreen. According to Altec, "when a user captures images using the camera, the built-in GPS will automatically record the coordinate data on to the image files."

There's much excitement (understandably) about the concept of recording the spots where you have taken photographs.

"The concept of “navigation through photographs” is bound to change consumers’ user habits in the future. Consider this scenario: suppose your friends/online contacts wish to travel to a place you have visited before. They will be able to obtain immediate directions to arrive at their destinations by
downloading photographs you have taken at that location to their navigation," says Altek

5 Best GPS Systems for Your Car

Wize.com rates GPS systems for your car. The 5 best GPS navigation systems for your car are why they are good are:

1. GARMIN ZUMO 550 System is easy to use, accurate, has bluetooth and adapts to direction changes. (pictured to the left)
2. GARMIN STREETPILOT C530 System is easy to use, accurate and affordable.
3. GARMIN NUVI 200 System is compact, accurate and affordable.
4. MIO C220 System is accurate, easy to use and affordable.
5. MAGELLAN MAESTRO 3100 PLUS System adapts to direction changes and uses current maps.

Consumer Reports Rates Portable GPS Units

The Consumer Reports Web site is filled with information about portable GPS units.

The Web site states that the "latest units are packing more navigation and entertainment features."

The good thing about the GPS devices is that you can carry them around with you, using them for finding your way on walks and bicycle rides.

Some companies that make the units are: Delphi, Garmin, Harman Kardon,                                     Jensen, Lowrance, Magellan, and Panasonic.

Consumer Reports buying advice, informative and thorough, details what you should look for in portable navigation devices.

Look for good navigation features over those of entertainment. Most important are things like the device saying street names and having it give you detour options for traffic jams.

A part of the buying guide on the Consumer Reports site includes a video that describes what GPS is and how you use it.

Isn't a wonderful feeling to know that when you have a device you'll be rerouted when you're lost.

You should be able to get a dependable system for under $300 according to the video.

Happy GPS shopping!

Lowrance iWay 250C GPS Navigator Video

You can use the Lowrance iWay 250C GPS Navigator (rated 92 at wize.com) right from the box because all the maps (for the U.S. and Canada) are preloaded.

Tiger TV has a video (which is posted below) that explains all that the iWay 250C can do.

From the voice navigation directions that you receive from the device to the special features such as the MP3 player that the device ships with, this GPS navigator is priced well ($200), considering all that it offers. 

Garmin Forerunner 305

The Garmin Forerunner 305 is a high sensitivity GPS receiver and a heart rate monitor.

There are three data screens on the Forerunner 305 to give you instant info about your workout.

There's an optional wireless Foot Pod that attaches to your running shoe (threads through the laces for a secure fit) and transmits your distance and pace to the Forerunner 305.

The Foot Pod is designed to measure forward-motion activities like walking and running. It costs $99.

The Foot Pod is compatible only with the Forerunner 305.

Here are the 305's features:

Heart rate monitor

Garmin Connect™ compatible (online community where you analyze, categorize and share data coming in May, 2008)

Garmin Training Center® software compatible

Virtual Partner® (train against a digital person)

Courses (compete against previous workouts)

Auto Pause® (pauses and resumes timer based on speed)

Auto Lap® (automatically starts a new lap)

Auto Scroll (cycles through data pages during workout)

Multi-sport (changes sport mode with a press of a button)

Pace alert (triggers alarm if you vary from preset pace)

Time/distance alert (triggers alarm when you reach goal).

Sony's New Portable Navigation System is Affordable

Sony's 4.3 inch widescreen GPS system is just $300, which isn't a bad price when you consider you'll pay from $100 or more for a Garmin system.

The Sony system also comes in a 4.8 inch size for $400.

Both GPS systems contain dual views, Bluetooth Hands-free calling, TMC traffic info and Position Plus.

The system has a high contrast touch-screen display to see your position and route.

It's a device that is less then one inch thick. The device sticks to your dash using a super suction cup, which keeps it stable while driving.

The GPS system gives spoken and visual directions. "Whether typing in your destination using the on-screen keyboard or searching by name or category, the system's graphic interface uses simple icons and touch screen buttons that make navigation easy," writes Sony on its Web site.

Two more features make this, the nav-u portable satellite navigation system, worth looking into:

1. There's an intelligent rerouting option that recalculates your route if you make a wrong turn.
2. There's a "Home" command which instantly directs you to your home address.