Data Hacking

272 Part IV — Playtime
TomTom software offers mapping information for all of the U.S. and Europe. European countries
and the American states are all available separately.
TomTom takes most of the guesswork out of road navigation, because as well as route planning,
TomTom Navigator can also provide you with voice instructions to help you get where you want
to go. If you get into a traffic jam or are detoured, there’s no need to worry because TomTom will
keep track of your location in real time via GPS and plan a new route, automatically updating
the remaining distance and estimated time of arrival. It also contains some superb features such
as night vision mode, which enables you to drive more easily during hours of darkness (see
Figure 11-15).
FIGURE 11-15: TomTom’s night
vision mode
Remember too that TomTom Navigator is useful for more than just geocaching!
Route-planning software isn’t of much use when it comes to actually finding the cache. Software
for use when you are driving rarely requires the same level of accuracy and is unlikely to give you
reliable distance and heading information when you are 50 yards or less from the cache. At that
point, you need the precision of the GPS interface to navigate the final few yards.
Sort Out Cabling
If you are going to connect your GPS to a PDA and possibly want to power your GPS from an
alternative power supply, make sure that you have all the cables you need with you. A sample is
shown in Figure 11-16.
Clearly label each of your cables, as shown in Figure 11-17. This way, if you have more than
one GPS or PDA, you won’t get confused and take the wrong cable or damage something trying
to fit the wrong connector into the socket. Make life even easier on yourself by labeling the
cable at both ends, detailing what the connector fits.