Sometimes, all this stuff just works

I now have the ability to access Google Maps from my Treo cellphone/PDA. I ran across a reference on the 'net about someone doing this, and in a couple of minutes I found the software; it is free. You also have to have Java installed on your PDA, and it turns out that IBM has a free Java distribution for Treos (IBM has really embraced the Free and Open Software movement).

It took about ten minutes to download everything and then upload it to my Treo, and two minutes after that, I was looking at a Google map of Blacksburg on my phone. I travel a lot to new places, and this software is going to make my life a lot easier. I have been experimenting with GPS navigation systems lately (a lot of rental cars come with them now), and I have been underwhelmed by my experiences with them. They are not only distracting to the point of being dangerous, but I find it takes a lot of fiddling to set up routes correctly.

The big attraction of GPS systems, is not, as you might think, the "you are right here" feature. If you are lost, it does not help much to know where you are lost. What you really want to know where to go. And a good map, downloaded on demand, is often all I need. I don't really want something shouting at me, in heavy traffic, "Make an immediate U-turn now!" And yes, one GPS I have used does that quite often.

Technology News: