| Author | Message | ||
     Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
Ok, so you turned on your GPS and a new screen popped up saying that the map in your unit was out of date and that you needed to update it. But do you really have to? The answer is No. But will your GPS shutdown because you didn't upgrade the map as advised? The answer is No. I've received many emails from GPS owners asking if the manufacturer put something in the firmware that's going to shut down their GPS if they don't follow through with updating their map. No and if they did, that would be very, very bad for their business and could be potentially harmful to anyone out on the road who rely upon their GPS to get them from point A to point B. Think about all of the legal consequences in doing that. It would be financial suicide. The pop-up screen is only a reminder notice. Your GPS knows the current date and simply compares it with the date of your map. The pop up window is automatically generated by the internal firmware and not by anyone monitoring your GPS. There is no one sitting at a control panel at the manufacturer, watching over you, nor do they have specific knowledge that you have chosen not to update your map, unless you go to their site with your GPS connected to the PC by a data cable. I receive units in everyday for repair, that have maps going back to 2007 and they work just fine and they will continue to do so. So, should you update your map? That's a personal choice. It's always advantageous however, to have the latest map information at your fingertips. There's new roads and Points of Interest (POI's) being built and torn down every day. Keeping your map updated will insure that you have the latest information available. Ok, so you just updated your map to the latest revision available. Just how current is it? Well you have to consider the fact that it takes time to collect data in order to create a map. So, it would be safe to say that if you have a map that's listed as 2010, The data was probably collected some time earlier (perhaps in 2009), in order to get the map ready for distibution in 2010. Should you purchase the yearly map update or lifetime map? Again, that's an issue of personal choice. If you use your GPS daily, like for business, then you'll probably want it to be as current as possible. The lifetime map update might be the best choice. Consider that it will begin saving you money after the first year as you won't have to pay a yearly fee for an update thereafter. (c)2010 SHARCNET-USA. This information may not be copied without the express written permission of SHARCNET-USA |