Hitting the Road: The Benefits of Global Positioning Systems
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Despite higher gas prices, AAA predicts a record number of us will travel -- they do this every year, don't they?</s>LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes; yes.</s>ALLEN: Will travel more than 50 miles this holiday weekend. If you need directions, but don't have a map, there's a high-tech way to keep your holiday from becoming a lost weekend. Although most people speak the language, you can probably figure out how to get there.</s>WATERS: Well, we're talking about global positioning systems, that have been available for some time now, but they're slowly becoming standard equipment on the cars we drive.</s>ALLEN: More on how they work now from CNN technology correspondent Rick Lockridge. Where are you, Rick?</s>WATERS: You know.</s>RICK LOCKRIDGE, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Down on the freeway. I'll give you a traffic report after this, if you like. Well, after 100 years of road-tripping, technology has finally found a way to possibly prevent all of those arguments that begin with the phrase, "honey, why don't you just stop and ask for directions." It is, as you mentioned, the GPS receiver.</s>LOCKRIDGE: So Gerald (ph), we've got a variety of handheld GPS receivers here, including one that looks like it might be for hunters. So tell us: Are any of these better than any others for a family wanting to go out on a road trip?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They sure are. The Garmin eMap here is very popular for going cross-country, as well as giving you a great deal of detail for metro areas. Simply by hitting our zoom-out key a few times, we can see the entire state and the entire southeast very quickly.</s>LOCKRIDGE: So if you want to plan this great big circuitous trip, you can sit at home with your PC, you can plot it all out on your PC, and then you can download it to the little device, and that will be your guide on the way?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.</s>LOCKRIDGE: So here's where you take the big step up to a unit that's actually made to go in your car; not a handheld. And these are a lot more powerful, but they're also a lot more expensive, aren't they?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes they are. This is the latest of the street pilot versions from Garmin. It's the Street Pilot III. First off, you can see it's got a color screen. It's got 16 colors. You're going to gain a lot of accuracy with this. It's about $1,000. You're going to be able to get some voice instructions as you've plotted your course. It will even tell you if you need to make a U-turn and go back the other way.</s>LOCKRIDGE: Or you could use the occasion of the holiday weekend to buy a $50,000 Cadillac SUV and have a real-life person give you directions everywhere. So, Deborah (ph), you're just going to press this blue button, and what's going to happen?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to press the blue button, and a real-life person is going to come on and...</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm trying to get to...</s>LOCKRIDGE: Peidmont and Roswell.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Peidmont and Roswell.</s>LOCKRIDGE (voice-over): Within moments, the OnStar operator had us on our way. (on camera): Some people who are a little intimidated by gadgets and don't want to fool with the GPS, they might find a human voice comforting.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely; and easy to use. It's only three buttons, you can't go wrong. And if I had an emergency in the car, like someone was sick or someone was threatening me at a red light, all I would have to do is press the red button for emergency services.</s>LOCKRIDGE: Do you get the feeling that -- now we're in a high- end vehicle here, but that someday that these features really should be pretty common in cars just for safety's sake?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely.</s>LOCKRIDGE: Now, this particular unit is about $200, but they start as low as about $100, and go up to -- as you saw, well over $1,000. Remember that these are not meant to be operated by a driver while the vehicle is in motion. Lou and Natalie, you should have a passenger do it, or pull over to the side. Remember, there's a lot of families going to be out on the roads this holiday weekend. A lot of them are already there. Over on the far side you've got southbound traffic, people going to Florida, pretty slow. Northbound not moving too badly. Hey, you know, this traffic reporting thing's not that tough; I think I could do it. Back to you.</s>WATERS: We'll get you a helicopter.</s>ALLEN: We'll get you out there.</s>LOCKRIDGE: A helicopter; a helicopter!</s>ALLEN: Lou will be zooming past you there in a short while, Rick, so watch out. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com