I have recently reviewed quite a lot of Garmin sat nav systems. The comments that keep popping up are, What is the best and most efficient way to update my Garmin unit? I had to look into this and in doing so, i managed to stumble across the Garmin NuMaps Lifetime Map Update for UK and Europe.

Map Coverage

The Garmin NuMaps cover the whole of the UK, ROI and Western Europe which includes detailed maps of major metropolitan areas in Europe, including motorways, national and regional thoroughfares and local roads.

Other possible ways of updating the Garmin units are with subscriptions with Garmin themselves but this would cost up to £80 a year. Which i found to be quite expensive considering most of the Nuvi’s are around that price anyway. However, when i came across these Garmin NuMaps i found that they done more for you than want a single map update would do, and worked out to be nearly half the price. These Range from £48.34 to £90! The cheapest i found to be was Lemon Digital. So £48.34 for mapping for the lifetime of my system. Not Bad?

Whats In the Box

This is what you get in the box:

• 1 x Gift Card with Unique Map Update Code

Upon ordering the product i had to check whether or not it was compatible with the Nuvi 770. So i contacted Garmin and they confirmed that it is compatible with the Whole Garmin Nuvi, Zumo, Streetpilot and Quest range!

Here’s an Image of what i received:

In My opinion its quite a big packaging considering its only protecting a credit card sized gift card with a small unique code on the back. However, i paid for the code not that packaging so that’s what i am going to review.

On the reverse of the package there was a brief explanation from Garmin just confirming what models were compatible with the code. Furthermore, there was also a link for me to go to if i had any problems or needed more information.

Opening the Package

Upon opening the package i found the card to be a bit like a scratch card. The code being on the back. The back of the card tells you exactly how to set up your Garmin Map Update and what links to go to. Once i scratched off the back and revealed my code i had to activate the card with the URL given. Here i had to create a username, password and type in the product key from the back of the card. Once this was set up i was able to update my system easily enough.

Updating your System

To use NuMaps Lifetime, all you need is your Garmin device, your computer and a USB cable. “There are no monthly fees or continuing maintenance costs”. To update my maps all i had to do was connect my device to the computer and log into my “myGarmin” account, where the latest map data was ready to install. It gave me a list of countries that i wanted to be updated and i just chose which ones i wanted and away it went. It took me 3 Hours to update the system, but i was in no rush and paying just £48 i wasn’t fussed.

Summary

Overall, I decided that the Garmin NuMaps was probably one of the most cost effective software i have ever purchased. Little Price, Simple Code and easy to use software to update my Garmin. What more could you ask for?

Buy the Garmin NuMaps from Lemon Digital

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Thanks.

There is likely to be a lack of postings during this interim period as I set up the new site and move everything across. So please bear with me if you see no posts for a couple of weeks. I’m still here

I will move the technical-itch.co.uk domain over to the new host in a few weeks time. If you use this URL to access this site then you’ll be taken to the new site once it is up and running.

The old technicalitch.wordpress.com domain will stay active forever. I’ll keep you posted on the developments.

One of the things I’ve been blogging about on a regular basis is when will the UK get a really fast broadband service. I was hoping that really fast broadband would arrive as part of BTs 21CN technology. That doesn’t seem the case now.

I’ve heard people before saying that FTTH in the UK was unlikely due to the costs involved, but surely this means the UK will lag further behind other countries. This is despite delegates at DigiWorld 2006 saying that the cost of rolling out FTTH will continue to decrease, making the business case more attractive.

FTTH is already being adopted in the US. Take for example, Verizon, who last week announced a Fibre-Optic rollout. BellSouth and SBC Communications are expected to make similar announcements soon.

In France, Iliad plan to invest EUR1 billion in FTTH for Paris over the next six years. There is strongth FTTH growth in Japan too, with 5.4 million subscribers at the end of March 2006.

Although these FTTH rollouts look promising, they seem confined to city areas rather than outlying areas. To rollout FTTH at a nationwide level would be a huge effort. Even so, I feel that is the way forward if we are to achieve truly faster broadband speeds. I think there is only so much you can do with the existing broadband infrastructure.

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One of the things to catch my attention was Robobike. The first robot that can ride a bike. Not only can he keep himself upright, but he can also peer ahead to make sure he rides in a straight line. An ultrasonic sensor in his chest keeps him from riding into walls, and wireless technology allows him to communicate with a PC for navigating complex routes.

Or how about the Air Mattress. It works by using a matching set of repelling magnets to levitate above the ground. I can see some uses for it. No more junk accumulating under the bed and the wife would love being able to hoover under it too But a whopping $1.5 million price tag seems an expensive way to fall out of bed!

Here is an interesting military invention. Imagine shouting “Medic!” and being greeted by the Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (BEAR). It can carry an injured soldier weighing up to 400lbs. A system of wheels, tracks and joints enable it to maneuver in all sorts of positions. It should be field-ready by 2010.

Source: Time Magazine’s best inventions of 2006

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“We are currently waiting for information from the supplier on when stock of iPod shuffle will be available. We are working hard to get stock for customers who have already pre-ordered the Shuffle. Please click the “sign up” button above to be notified when this item is available for order.”

I had a tip-off that the UK Apple site was selling the iPod 1Gb Shuffle with free engraving, so I’m glad I cancelled my Amazon order. I ordered my Shuffle from Apple on the 14th November and it arrived 2 days later. How’s that for service

There are loads of good reviews out there on the new Shuffle, so I won’t repeat what you may have read elsewhere. My main objectives were to see how well such a small MP3 player could perform, and secondly, would it work on Ubuntu Edgy 6.10. Overall a great result.

Believe it or not, this is actually the first MP3 player I’ve bought, surprising since this is a technology blog. A bit behind the times but I’ve jumped on the iPod bandwagon

I wanted a lightweight and small MP3 player, for using at places like the gym, and the Shuffle is ideal. Sure it hasn’t got a screen, but that’s why there are other iPod’s in the Apple family. If you fancy a screen then you can buy an iPod Nano or something similar.

My first impressions on opening the box was some nice slick packaging from Apple. Pictured below is what you get in the box.

I had a bit of trouble initially with the USB docking station. It took about 3 or 4 attempts before the Shuffle connected properly. I did my initial setup on Windows XP using iTunes, no problems at all. After about 5 hours it was fully charged and I loaded my first set of songs onto the Shuffle. Apple claim you can get about 240 songs onto the Shuffle, in fact I managed to get slightly more than this figure.

I gave the Shuffle a good test down the gym and it performed admirably. The only thing I would consider buying is another set of earphones that are better at cutting outside noise. The ones that come with the Shuffle are not the best.

The clip on the Shuffle is surprisingly sturdy and I had no trouble down the gym running on the treadmill. The volume and track controls are easy to use. The only buttons that are slightly more fiddly are the on/off switch and the button to play songs either in sequence or random order.

My next test was to see how well the Shuffle would perform on my operating system of choice, Ubuntu Edgy 6.10. As soon as I plugged the Shuffle into the USB port the Rhythmbox Music Player started automatically. It correctly detected my iPod and I could manage all the songs on the Shuffle

A great purchase overall. It doesn’t have a screen and only holds about 240 songs, but if you fancy an MP3 player for places like the gym then it is a great buy. I’ll be using the Shuffle a lot.

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This link from Pearsonified on how to improve your blog’s metrics in one easy step makes interesting reading. It discusses how the main page of your blog can get cluttered up by full-body posts. If these posts are large then it can make navigating your blog more difficult and your audience may miss out on other useful posts on your blog.

The solution is to offer teasers to your audience by posting the first paragraph or two of your post and then offering a ‘read more’ option where people can read the full post. This can also encourage people to comment on your posts since the reader is taken to the page where comments can be added.

I think this is a great idea which I’ve already implemented. When composing a new post in WordPress there is a ‘Split post with more tag’ icon in the editor toolbar. Using teasers makes the main page more user-friendly and easier to navigate.

There are lots of other useful links on boosting your blog traffic on the Pearsonified blog so rather than me repeat them all just head on over to that site. There are some nice gems in there.

I particularly liked the idea employed in the side bar to encourage people to tour your blog using features like ‘Must Reads’ and ‘Worth a Look’. This enables visitors to read posts which otherwise may remain hidden deep in your archives. I’ve shamelessly stolen these ideas and incorporated them into my own blog

Another thing you can do to spice up your blog is alter the number of posts that appear on the main page. My blog is hosted on WordPress which uses a default of 10 posts on the main page, but you can reduce that number from the ‘Options | Reading’ screen if you want the main page to look less cluttered.

If you want to get really technical then have a look at the F-Shaped Pattern for Reading from usability guru Jakob Nielsen. It discusses how the human eye scans over a web page and how this has implications for web site design.

Finally there is this article which discusses how a corporate website was redesigned into a blog. The idea being that using blog posts enabled the website content to be better indexed by Google.

I hope these links will inspire you to look at ways of redesigning your own blog or web site. I’d be interested to hear on your success stories. I also welcome any feedback on my current blog design, good or bad, I’d like to hear what you think.

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The image quality of these meetings isn’t bad, but it’s not that great either, with images appearing slightly fuzzy, and often it’s difficult to see who is actually talking, or to see everyone clearly on the screen.

Well it looks like the videoconferencing technology could be starting to develop into a more real-world experience after reading an interesting article in UK IT publication Computer Weekly. HP have developed the Halo Collaboration Studio, which was first announced at the end of 2005.

Members of the videoconference see each other in life size images which are displayed on plasma screens. Participants can also share data on their laptop PCs using a screen mounted above these displays. The end result is very effective, giving the appearance that all participants are seated in the same room.

Some of the photos I’ve seen of this technology are so realistic that at first glance you wouldn’t notice it’s a videoconference. The technology is already in use by several large corporations including AMD, DreamWorks and PepsiCo.

I can see the advantage of this type of technology and it could persuade some people to consider whether a face-to-face meeting is really necessary. The obvious benefits being a reduction in business travel expenses which also has a positive impact on global warming, and the time saved by executives travelling to meetings being put to more productive use.

There will always be times though when you still need that face-to-face experience, maybe when closing out a top sales deal for example. This new technology isn’t cheap either. To equip a room costs around $550,000 plus there is an ongoing monthly service fee of $18,000, so any company has to be really serious before committing to such a large investment.

There are always going to be cheaper alternatives too, such as the traditional videoconferencing used by many organizations today, or even basic web cams.

I guess it boils down to the amount of business travel each company incurs. If this is a large proportion of overall expenses then the technology could prove cost effective. It also has a certain prestige element too. Imagine inviting prospective customers into your business and then conducting a meeting using Halo with other areas of the business around the globe. I’m sure it would convey a very professional image.

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The first thing I noticed was that Edgy 6.10 correctly detected my Iiyama Vision Master Pro 451 CRT monitor first time. This meant I was able to select a pleasant 85Hz refresh rate straight away. I also had a greater selection of screen resolutions to choose from. I had installed Ubuntu 6.06 a total of 3 times earlier in the year and not once did it detect my monitor correctly. I had to end up tweaking my xorg.conf file and install the Nvidia drivers in Ubuntu 6.06, before I could use a decent screen refresh rate.

Secondly, I had previously blogged about a problem with the Ubuntu upgrade process where Edgy 6.10 would no longer automatically detect my digital camera. Doing a clean install of Edgy 6.10 I did not see this problem.

Thirdly, I was impressed how well the clean install of Edgy 6.10 handled installing Macromedia Flash player. When I first installed Ubuntu 6.06 a few months ago I had problems using the Flash plugin. Whenever I visited a web site that required the Flash plugin, Firefox would tell me the plugin wasn’t installed. I would follow the prompts inside Firefox to install the plugin, but it never seemed to work for me. I had to end up using Synaptic to install the Flash plugin.

With the clean install of Edgy 6.10 I had no such problems. I tried visiting a web site that required the Flash plugin. Firefox told me the Flash plugin wasn’t installed, I followed the Firefox prompts to install the plugin, Flash then installed itself, the web site then refreshed with the Flash player correctly installed. No tweaking required at all. This is exactly how it works in Windows.

Everything else appears to be working fine with the clean install of Edgy 6.10. I’m glad I did the clean install now. If you’ve had problems with the upgrade from 6.06 to Edgy 6.10, which seems like a lot of people, then a clean install may be worth trying.

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Techgage have compiled their list of the top 10 free games for Linux. My only experience of gaming on Linux so far is the default games that come supplied with Ubuntu, and to be honest they’re nothing special. I can’t even beat the computer at Four-In-A-Row on level 2

The criteria for the Techgage top 10 list was as follows:

• Has to be 100% free… no strings attached.
• Cannot require wine to run.
• Open Source not a requirement.
• Installation must be painless.
• Cannot be an add-on to a commercial game

I’ve always been a big fan of FPS games on Windows like the Half-Life series and there are some promising looking FPS games on the top 10 list.

Take Americas Army for example which is based on the Unreal engine. This game was used by the US government to train army recruits to avoid sniper fire in Iraq. The graphics look great.

Then there is Nexuiz which is based on the DarkPlaces engine. It is not claimed to be the best game out there in terms of eye candy but it does make use of some good display effects.

If you’re not into FPS games then the Top 10 list has other games that might interest you.

I haven’t tried downloading or playing any of these games so can’t comment on what game appeal they have. But it is good to see an active community of developers out there creating free software, some even Open-source, for Linux.

I hope these games get bigger and better, taking full advantage of the graphics hardware available in modern PCs, so that they rival those available in Windows. That would then offer another incentive for people to make the switch to Linux.

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