GPS can eliminate even that occasional need for directions. A navigation technology that relies on a network of satellites, GPS made its name helping pilots fly planes, mariners plot their courses and geologists map the Earth. Now, it's moving to the next level of practicality: helping executives get to that sales meeting with a new client in a strange town.

Looking for GPS technology that could appeal to an executive, I found what amounted to a 75% solution: The raw technology is there, but, I thought, "If only it were a little easier to use... If only it could... "

Dozens of companies sell GPS equipment, including handheld consumer items, vehicle-mounted tracking systems and marine and aviation products.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has estimated that GPS sales will reach $8 billion in 2000.

NeverLost
Hertz Corp., Park Ridge, N.J.
Magellan Driver Information Systems, Inc., Rochester Hills, Mich.; (800) 823-2547
Price: $6/day

That terminal with the 4-in. color screen sitting between the front seats of your Hertz rental car really can help you find your way right to the front door of your next appointment. Hertz began offering the Magellan technology, which blends GPS with what Magellan calls a dead-reckoning capability, as an option at selected airports in 1995. It is now available at 50 U.S. locations.

You select your destination — whether a street address or a public building — by toggling through menu choices. It takes a minute or less to enter an address and have NeverLost map out the best route on the screen.

A mechanical voice guides you along the highlighted route, offering prompts such as, "Turn left on Route 1, one-quarter mile ahead" while you keep your eyes on the road.

NeverLost is accurate enough to earn the title, "Almost NeverLost." It was on the money as long as I was on major roads, but it got confused when I drove through a small seacoast town with narrow, winding streets.

A NeverLost-style system installed in your new car or as an add-on from a retailer might cost about $1,200 to $1,800.

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GPS III
Garmin International, Inc., Olathe, Kan.; (913) 397-8200
Price: $369 (street); $531 (list)

The GPS III was designed for recreational use, but I took it on a couple of business trips, and it proved helpful.

At 9 ounces and 5 inches long, this handheld device is compact and easy to use. Built-in maps of the U.S. show your location with relation to the most direct route to your destination or to landmarks such as state highways.

GPS III is best at finding locations you have already visited and marked. So you can use it for tasks like plotting a return trip to your hotel. When it comes to finding a new location, if you don't already know the GPS coordinates (not likely), you typically will be able to mark only the general neighborhood using the maps.

GPS works best outdoors, but the readings that the GPS III and the Magellan 2000XL offer inside a moving car are fine for the business traveler.

GPS 2000XL
Magellan Systems Corp., Sunnyvale, Calif.; (408) 524-1400
Price: $149.99 (street)

Computer buyers may be accustomed to more money buying more power. With the GPSs we tried, more money buys ease of use. The $200 difference between the Magellan and Garmin devices is reflected in how much more intuitive it is to use the Garmin and features such as the built-in maps.

The GPS 2000XL, only about an inch longer than the GPS III and comparable in terms of processing speed and accuracy, eventually did the job, particularly in terms of backtracking to the hotel. But the learning curve could be measured in hours.

Our GPS 2000XL came with a data module that ties it into a CD-ROM-based map system on a notebook PC. This helped me get around but, again, setup and use was a challenge, and the documentation was weak.

How it works

GPS technology has its roots in U.S. Department of Defense programs but now thrives in the commercial sector. Twenty-four high-tech satellites orbit the Earth at 12,000 miles, continuously beaming their locations and the time toward the surface. GPS receivers collect the data from at least three satellites and use an algorithm to calculate the receiver's latitude and longitude for two-dimensional readings. To get three-dimensional accuracy (latitude, longitude and altitude), you need signals from at least four satellites.

GPS in your future

Just work with GPS today, and talk to the vendors, and you can see the next few steps that will advance it beyond a 75% solution.

Garmin last month shipped StreetPilot, a 1.2-lb. hand-size device designed for use in the car.
Garmin says its maps will cover state and federal highways and that optional data cards can provide city street-level mapping.
Unlike NeverLost-style systems, StreetPilot won't be hard-wired, so you should be able to move it from one car to another.
Dozens of vendors are working to more tightly integrate GPS technology and mapping software with notebooks, handheld computers and cellular phones.

The off-the-shelf combinations, such as Magellan's, seem clunky right now. But picture a time in the not-too-distant future when all your sales representatives download their day's appointments and customer information and get step-by-step driving directions via their handheld computers.

Connolly is Computerworld's department editor, technology reviews/Review Center.