Looking more like a television remote control than a precision navigation instrument, the GPS 2000 is a low-cost, 10-ounce, waterproof GPS receiver designed for camping, scouting, and fishing. Unlike other GPS devices, this isn't an aviation retread.
Click a few buttons on the keypad to enter your home or camp location. Now go for a walk. The 2000's plotter will draw a little map of the terrain you have covered. When you turn around, the system will tell you what route to take and compute your estimated time of arrival. The device can also calculate sunrise and sunset for anywhere in the world, as well as tell you the moon's phase.
Like all GPS units, the 2000 won't function indoors or in caves. It also has problems when it is surrounded by tall buildings; it won't even work through the roof of my car - but it does operate through the windshield.
When I was a teenager, I used to enjoy going out for a long walk, getting lost, and trying to find my way back home. Then a guy I knew died of exposure when he got lost on a mountain in New Hampshire. Now I can recapture the fun of those earlier walks - without the danger.
##### GPS 2000: US$150. Magellan Systems Corporation: +1 (909) 394 5000, fax +1 (909) 394 7050, on the Web at www.magellangps.com/.
STREET CRED
Steve ReichRapoon
Neverlost
