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Automatic Time Zone?
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I currently own my 3rd garmin GPS and was yet surprised another time
that the units dont set the time zone based on their location...
I am thinking that should be an easy to implement feature but havent
seen it anywhere...
Is it just not important to people? OR indeed difficult to do?
Just wondering ..
Matt
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| Bert Hyman 2005-11-30, 5:48 pm |
| web1000@shaw.ca (Matt) wrote in
news:1133382121.278160.121280@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
> I am thinking that should be an easy to implement feature but
> havent seen it anywhere...
>
> Is it just not important to people? OR indeed difficult to do?
Have you ever looked at a map showing timezone boundaries? It's not
pretty.
--
Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | bert@iphouse.com
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| Tom Stiller 2005-11-30, 5:48 pm |
| In article < Xns971E99E21B56DVeeb
leFetzer@127.0.0.1>,
Bert Hyman <bert@iphouse.com> wrote:
> web1000@shaw.ca (Matt) wrote in
> news:1133382121.278160.121280@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
>
>
> Have you ever looked at a map showing timezone boundaries? It's not
> pretty.
Especially in Indiana.
--
Tom Stiller
PGP fingerprint = 5108 DDB2 9761 EDE5 E7E3
7BDA 71ED 6496 99C0 C7CF
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| peter 2005-11-30, 11:48 pm |
| Bert Hyman wrote:
> web1000@shaw.ca (Matt) wrote in
> news:1133382121.278160.121280@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
>
>
> Have you ever looked at a map showing timezone boundaries? It's not
> pretty.
No, it's not. But most of the GPS units already include a basemap that
has all state boundaries, many rivers, major highways and some
additional roads, rail lines, etc. Adding the timezone map would be a
fairly trivial addition although it would have to be updated
periodically.
But I think the major reason is that it wouldn't be particularly
useful. Most of the time I'm staying in one timezone and don't need
the feature. And when I'm traveling in an area near a timezone
boundary I'd usually prefer to keep my clocks and other timekeeping
items fixed in one zone rather than jumping back and forth as I happen
to cross the boundary. Having my GPS automatically change timezones
for me is more likely to lead to confusion than to prevent it.
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| Bert Hyman 2005-11-30, 11:48 pm |
| In news:1133396614.951741.116660@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com "peter"
<prathman@comcast.net> wrote:
> Bert Hyman wrote:
>
> No, it's not. But most of the GPS units already include a basemap that
> has all state boundaries, many rivers, major highways and some
> additional roads, rail lines, etc. Adding the timezone map would be a
> fairly trivial addition although it would have to be updated
> periodically.
Most GPS units do ->not have basemaps with the info you describe. Besides,
what about the rest of the world?
Adding the timezone info would ->not be a trivial addition.
The basemaps can't be updated.
--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN bert@iphouse.com
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| peter 2005-11-30, 11:48 pm |
| Bert Hyman wrote:
> In news:1133396614.951741.116660@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com "peter"
> <prathman@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>
> Most GPS units do ->not have basemaps with the info you describe. Besides,
> what about the rest of the world?
The timezone map for the entire world is still a trivially small amount
of data compared to a typical GPS basemap.
> The basemaps can't be updated.
On many Garmin units the basemap data is stored in the same
read/writable memory device as the detailed maps. Ever notice the
unusual storage sizes available? E.g. the 60c/cs units allow 56 MB of
downloadable map storage, the 76c/cs & Quest allow 115 MB, the Euro
Quest allows 243 MB, and the GPS V allows 19 MB. None of those are
common memory chip sizes. But when you include the basemap sizes for
those units (8 MB in the 60c/cs and 13 MB in all the others) the
numbers look more familiar: 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB, 32 MB. Open the
units up and those are the memory chip sizes you'll find.
Making the basemaps non-updateable is a marketing and licensing
decision by the manufacturer, not a technical issue.
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| Bert Hyman 2005-11-30, 11:48 pm |
| In news:1133398075.610722.198610@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com "peter"
<prathman@comcast.net> wrote:
> Making the basemaps non-updateable is a marketing and licensing
> decision by the manufacturer, not a technical issue.
And it still means you won't be updating them.
--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN bert@iphouse.com
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| peter 2005-11-30, 11:48 pm |
|
Bert Hyman wrote:
> In news:1133398075.610722.198610@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com "peter"
> <prathman@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>
> And it still means you won't be updating them.
Nor do I need to. I thought the question was about the feasibility of
the manufacturer including automatic timezone changes in their product
if they decided to do so. Comparison with typical basemaps that are
now routinely included shows that the amount of data required is not a
limiting factor (memory is cheap - note that Lowrance includes a much
more detailed basemap than Garmin in a unit that I've seen retail for
$57). Updatability of the data is also not a technical issue since the
manufacturers already place this quantity of data in Flash type memory
and they already provide updates of other changing databases like the
magnetic variation tables.
Bottom line is that adding such a feature doesn't present any great
technical hurdles. But it does present some user-interface, customer
support, and marketing issues. Given the limited value to the customer
I can understand why manufacturers to date have chosen not to implement
such a feature since it could well lead to greater confusion and more
errors being made than leaving the timezone as a manual setting.
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| Phil Schitz 2005-12-01, 5:48 pm |
| Considering all the data that's already in there, I can't imagnie for
a minute that it would take much to implement such a feature if the
manufacturer were so inclined.
On 30 Nov 2005 21:07:45 GMT, Bert Hyman <bert@iphouse.com> wrote:
>
>Have you ever looked at a map showing timezone boundaries? It's not
>pretty.
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