![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
adrian_turtleI've had my GPS for 10 days now. I can't tell if it's defective, or if it's working the way it's supposed to and I just hate it. (Only I don't *always* hate it. It's infuriating and I resent it, but I'm not quite sure if I'd be better off without it.) I know it's awkward and painful and scary to use. But I've used it to drive through completely unfamiliar neighborhoods at night to find stores and even a synagogue. Without it, I would probably have told myself "I couldn't find the place now. I'll just go home, rather than risk getting lost."
The problem is that the battery is only good for about 2 hours, when it's not connected to my computer or my car. I need to disconnect it all the time, either to reduce the risk of having it be stolen, or to use it as a pedestrian. Disconnecting it is not a trivial process: I have to hold the power button down hard for 10-20 seconds (which hurts), to make sure it is really off before disconnecting the cable. Otherwise, it can get so badly stuck it needed to be rebooted completely, such that it restarted in Finnish. When I want to use it, I can't just push the power button, or even just hold down the power button for 20 seconds...that only turns on the handheld unit without connecting the GPS. I need to push the reset button with a pin (hard, for 10-20 seconds, which hurts) to make it turn on and recognize a GPS signal. Then I need to reprogram my route, and navigation preferences, which is at least easier than reprogramming language.
I haven't decided if I ought to return the thing, or exchange it for one that works properly. If I'm going to continue to use it, I should probably start carrying some kind of tools for pushing the on/off and reset button. The reset button is too small to reach with a ballpoint pen, and seems to be too big for a straight pin and too deep for the pin on the back of my pride symbol.
The problem is that the battery is only good for about 2 hours, when it's not connected to my computer or my car. I need to disconnect it all the time, either to reduce the risk of having it be stolen, or to use it as a pedestrian. Disconnecting it is not a trivial process: I have to hold the power button down hard for 10-20 seconds (which hurts), to make sure it is really off before disconnecting the cable. Otherwise, it can get so badly stuck it needed to be rebooted completely, such that it restarted in Finnish. When I want to use it, I can't just push the power button, or even just hold down the power button for 20 seconds...that only turns on the handheld unit without connecting the GPS. I need to push the reset button with a pin (hard, for 10-20 seconds, which hurts) to make it turn on and recognize a GPS signal. Then I need to reprogram my route, and navigation preferences, which is at least easier than reprogramming language.
I haven't decided if I ought to return the thing, or exchange it for one that works properly. If I'm going to continue to use it, I should probably start carrying some kind of tools for pushing the on/off and reset button. The reset button is too small to reach with a ballpoint pen, and seems to be too big for a straight pin and too deep for the pin on the back of my pride symbol.
