Autoblog

As of today, we're taking bets to see how long it will take before people realize that "GPS" does not stand for "Auto Pilot." The latest "But the GPS told me to..." story is brought to you by a charter bus driver in Seattle. Piloting a coach through the Washington Arboretum -- as the GPS instructed him -- the driver ignored, or didn't see, or didn't believe (take your pick) the flashing lights and sign warning him that his 11-foot-high bus was too tall for the looming 9-foot concrete overpass.

You can see how the story ends. The overpass ended up with some superficial damage, the coach got a removable top, and the girls softball team inside received some minor injuries. Luckily, the 60-inch sewage pipe inside the overpass wasn't ruptured. The driver was ticketed for $154. And in response to the charter company executive who remarked, "We just thought it would be a safe route because, why else would they have a selection for a bus?", a Garmin spokesman responded "Stoplights aren't in our databases, either, but you're still expected to stop for stoplights."

[Source: Seattle Pi]

Mercedes is introducing a feature called Search and Send to that will allow you to send Google and Yahoo! driving directions directly to your car's navigation system. How it works: you get driving directions from either source, and then hit a button labeled Send to Car. If you have a Tele-Aid subscription, when you get in your new Mercedes you can hit the "i" button, and the car will download the directions. Voila and giddyup.

You can even send directions from your PDA, or have someone else send directions to you while you're in the car. However, the unique identifier that gets the directions to your specific car and no one else's isn't spelled out. It also isn't clear if this is only for new cars, or if your 2005 CLK and your woeful sense of direction can ever benefit. The release says it will start off on the S, CL, and new C-Class, and be phased in across the range over time. It doesn't become available until September 5, but you can see a video of it here.

[Source: Foursprung]

Though the isle of Britain isn't that large in terms of square miles, it still contains 24,000 potential speed traps (about the same number in Ohio, we think). The Rossini Navigator and Camera Spotter is a satellite navigation unit that has each one of those traps plotted on its digital topography and will audibly warn a driver if one is fast approaching. The unit also does the whole door-to-door, turn-by-turn navigation thing, but the addition of such comprehensive camera spotting technology moves it to the head of the class. The distributer of the Rossini Navigator, Car Parts Direct, has also decided to guarantee the device will keep you ticket free in the UK by offering £60 cashback if the device offers no warning of a speed trap and a ticket is issued. Those purchasing the Rossini Nav system will also get free camera updates emailed to them through January of 2009, since most people don't bother to go get updates on thier own when they're made available. The unit costs £399 and is ready to use right out of the box.

[Source: Car Parts Direct]

In a gesture of unwavering generosity, Cadillac announced yesterday that select 2007 models would come equipped with free satellite navigation. The offer will end on January 2nd 2007 and is only available on "specially-equipped" models.

What directional joys await those of you willing to drop the coin on a new Caddy? It's pretty much the standard navigation fare, with a dash-mounted LCD displaying turn-by-turn directions, with the option of a sultry vixen barking orders at you if you make a wrong move (some don't need a sat-nav for that). Other standard features include an address finder, a business search and, for those of you willing to upgrade to XM, NavTraffic, that provides real-time traffic reporting.

The free navi will be only available on 2007 models and we haven't found out the meaning of "specially-equipped" yet, but we'll call our local dealer today.

[Source: Cadillac via GM Inside News]