[DanMan32]

I thought I might start a thread of interesting stories of how NAV/BT were put to good use.

About a month ago, my church had a fall festival. My friend needed me to give him a ride for last minute donations from various area businesses. He wasn't given much preparation: no phone numbers of the businesses, no exact addresses. He didn't even have exact names for a few.
Well, there was one restaurant we wanted to stop in at the end of our route, but we were hoping to know if they had anything for us. We couldn't remember the exact name of the restauraunt, no address, no phone number. We only had the street and general area.

So, I pull up the NAV, set it up to display restaurant POI's, point the map to the general area the restaurant was supposed to be, and VOILA! We now have the restaurant name, address, and phone number. A couple more button pushes, and my phone was dialing the restaurant using the car's BT.

So what's your story?

 

[Phish Phood]

Okay this is a bit of an opposite story.. more of a.. WHERES MY NAV

So my BF was out of town, and his dog was having leg pain to the point she wouldn't stand. He asked me to take her to the vet and I said, sure no problem! He was trying to tell me where the Vet's place was, and I brushed him off, I said I'd find it.. because in the Prius, I've got my NAV system.

Well, when I finally went to leave for the vet and picked up the dog, I then realized as I was carrying this 60 pound Dobie to the car.. that my BF had taken my car up north and I had his beamer.. with no.. NAV.. *cry*

To make things worse, when I finally headed for the vet, I had no idea where it was besides an intersection given to me by my BF, and ended up passing it twice before realizing where the dang place was.

Needless to say. I love my NAV.. but at the same time I feel crippled by it.

P.S. The vet was only two blocks away. :X

 

[redwein]

Needless to say. I love my NAV.. but at the same time I feel crippled by it.

I'm in this category too. I took Amtrak to Denver with my kids. We stayed at the Hyatt in downton. I rented a car from Hertz, a block away. I usually get the nav but they don't offer it in their local offices so the car didn't have it. I didn't feel like navigating the old fashioned way so we took taxis everywhere. I returned the car 3 days later with the odometer having registered no miles and paid over $200.

 

[mrv]

When my A/V receiver started having audio problems again, about 1.5 years after having gone to the regional (local) repair shop for a similar issue, I knew it was time to take it in again...

The problem was, I couldn't remember the name of this hole-in-the-wall repair shop (the only authorized shop in the state, last I checked). The old receipt was buried deep in a receipt box with all the rest of my credit card receipts, and how could I search for it if I didn't know the name of what I was looking for?

I did remember that it took forever of digging through website information to find the shop in the first place... and I wasn't about to try navigating through that again...

But I did remember the general location of the place, that it was next door to a nice Japanese hibachi grill. So, off to the Prius w/Nav. Wow, must've been a good Japanese restaurant, as my husband had even saved it as a waypoint/POI. So we have the Prius' Navigation system drive us to the Japanese restaurant, and yep, right next door is the repair shop! We then made another waypoint for the repair shop, should we ever need it again (like to pick up our receiver once it's fixed).

(one darn IC chip liked to burn out on my model of A/V receiver...)

 

[SgtKarl]

I was traveling home with my wife, mother, and mother-in-Law from Virginia. In WV, you can get off I-64 and cut into Ohio on US 35. Well, the road was closed by a crash and it was 17 miles back to the bridge to the other side of the Kanawha river.

I fired up the NAV and saw there was a couple of country roads that would take me around the crash. Started following the country road, which became a gravel road, which became a cowpath. All the while, the NAV said we were on a road. When I ended in someones yard (only place to turn around- cue the "Deliverance" banjo music) I got back to where I started and did the 17 miles back.

NAV is truly "Garbage in/ Gargage out".

 

[aaf709]

I was taking my parents for a drive and my mother wanted to know if a certain pie was available at Baker's Square. I touched the DEST button (which did the override trick) and entered the name. It gave me a list and I picked the closest one. Bingo, I had their phone number and called by touching the Green phone icon.

 

[Roger V]

When I picked up my '06 in N. Cal. last May, the dealer programmed my home address to demonstrate the system. I had a 400 mile trip to make, but knew how to get there, so left it alone and switched to the audio screen. After listening to several radio stations fade out, I figured I was finally getting close enough to pick up my favorite L.A. station. I pushed the button and said "FM 103.5." The lady in the dash came back with "There are no Mexican restaurants in the area."

 

[aaf709]

I pushed the button and said "FM 103.5." The lady in the dash came back with "There are no Mexican restaurants in the area."

Heck, I once pushed the button and said, "I have to p*ss" and the response was, "Showing Gas Stations." I guess the Nav Lady figured it was the best place for that.

 

[melgish]

I've posted before...Not too long after picking up our Prius, we were caught up in the Frances evacuation. We had hotel room in Atlanta already programmed in when we hit 15 mph stop/go traffic on I 75 North.

After stopping to eat in Valdosta, I discovered the route preferences screen, and ruled out freeways. After a 30 mile detour to the west, we took back roads clear to Atlanta and averaged 60 mph the whole way.

Passed near Plains, GA ... but didn't see Pres Carter...

 

[Travelingsalesgirl]

As a 'traveling sales girl' I use my NAV extensively every day. While it usually gets me exactly where I want to go, there are three creative incidents that come to mind...

1. Never try to use it in the 'Big Dig' in Boston. Even when I had just used the update disc, it had no idea where the roads were (or are).
2. ONe memorble trip it showed me driving around in Boston Harbor for about 20 minutes until I had reached my appointment and turned the car off.
3. After one particularly long and tiring day, away from home, I was in the mood for some adult beverages to take back to the hotel. Even though the preprogramed POI's list 'botanical gardens' and other hot spots, "package store", "liquor store" and other synonyms don't seem to be available as POI's.

btw. has anyone found a list of all the verbal commands that the voice activated portion understands?

KV

 

[redwein]

When I was driving across the country, I was approaching Chicago on I80. For some reason, the NAV told me to get off the freeway and put me on surface streets. I thought it was a shortcut or something. After about 45 minutes of this, and noticing that I kept passing entrances to I80, I realized something was amiss. Apparently, the default setting of the NAV avoids toll roads and I80 becomes a toll road near Chicago. Since I had driven from Mount Rushmore that day, I was quite tired and a little peeved. Nonetheless, I changed the option, got back on I80 and went through Chicago (a nightmare in itself). I finally stopped just East of Chicago.

 

[Tideland Prius]

btw. has anyone found a list of all the verbal commands that the voice activated portion understands?

KV

go to john1701a.com

download the Prius User Guide. It has the list.

 

[DanMan32]

Thanks for the heads-up about Boston. I might be heading up there this week. But then, I probably will be ouside of Boston, and my friend will know the area quite well.

 

[MO_MPG]

While driving my 2002 Prius during a business trip in L.A., a city I'm not familiar with, I used my Prius' NAV system in a way I hadn't thought of before.

I wanted to find a nice place to get a really good dinner, but setting the NAV's POI option to display restaurants brings-up way too many restaurants -- unfortunately including every fast-food place.

So instead, I set the POI option to display museums/galleries, hoping a cluster of these in a neighborhood might indicate some better-quality places to eat.

Cruising through one of these "museum/gallery" areas allowed me to find a nice neighborhood with several good restaurants.

Technology is so cool when it works!

- Peter

 

[Alphawolf]

When I bought my new '06, I for sure didn't want NAV

I have a Garmin C330 (for about $400) that an be switched from car to car, carried in my suitcase on a jet for use in a rental car, or used in my buddy's car (when I can convince him to drive). As far as I can tell, it does the same thing as the obscenely priced Toyota version. Plus, I can buy a brand new "state-of-the art" GPS receiver every few years and still be out less money than the Toyota version.
So...Convince me...Why might I be interested in one next time I buy a new Prius? I would like to hear from those that have done it both ways.

 

[redwein]

I have both and I do use the Garmin when I travel, which is nice. However, I hate actually using it and I'm always glad to get back to the Prius Nav (or the one in my Sienna). The main reason is the screen size. Being used to the Toyota, I find that it has much more information layed out in a very easy to see format. I can't get nearly as much useful information from glancing at the screen of the Garmin. I have used it for several thousand miles so far and haven't gotten used to it so I'm pretty sure I never will. I think the screen size of the Garmin is ridiculously small and limits its potential greatly.

 

[Alphawolf]

On screen size...

. I think the screen size of the Garmin is ridiculously small and limits its potential greatly.

O.K...Thanks.
I guess you use yours different than I do. Once I punch in an address, I'm done even looking at it hardly util it gets me to my destination. I just drive and listen to "bitchin' Betty" (That's what I call her) guide me to my spot. I really only even look at the screen when I'm first entering an address orlooking for a POI, and I always try to do that when I'm not moving. You must use yours a lot more while actually driving?

 

[redwein]

That's what I end up doing as well when I use the Garmin. What is really nice about the Prius Nav is that it shows a nice graphic when you approach a complicated intersection (e.g. not a T or a 4-way) that is actually computed from the map data. It shows exactly how each street comes into it and shows where you are with respect to them. It is very easy to make sure you get on the right street and you can get that info with a glance. It has come in handy numerous times.

 

[Tideland Prius]

And how is that not shown on 3rd party GPS units? I mean, it IS a map and therefore should look exactly the same as the road it maps.

Also, it depends on the screen size. They range from 2.7" to 7" (just like our Prius).

I have a TomTom ONE with a 3.5" screen. I thought it'd be too small (other TomToms use a 4" screen). After placing it on the dash next to the light sensor, it's bright and clear enough to show me the information I need. It's also thin enough (< 1" deep) to carry around in my pocket.

 

[redwein]

To tell you the truth, the screen is so small, I could only see a map, but very little detail on it. On the Prius, there is room for the main map that shows you where you are, based on your zoom setting, and then another box that shows the upcoming intersection enlarged and computed to show the actual street configuration. That box is about as big as the entire Garmin screen and I don't recall seeing anything like that on the Garmin.

One other thing I like about the Prius nav is that when I'm on the freeway, it shows me the upcoming exits, how far they are, and what services are available there. It helps when you are looking for gas. It uses the same real estate as the intersection overlay that I mentioned earlier. The rest of the screen shows the map.

When I was looking for the portable unit, I wanted one that was touch screen, like the Prius. I knew the Garmin name was a good name and I couldn't find any of them with a larger screen than the one that I have. Maybe they exist but I didn't find them. If you know of a touchscreen portable nav with a 7" screen, or thereabouts, let me know the model because I would definitely buy it for travel.

BTW, my motorhome has a built in PC that it uses for navigation and it has a 14" monitor but it isn't touchscreen.