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dizzyfergy Occasional Visitor
Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 40 Location: West yorkshire
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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Whey hey , not only a sat nav forum but a free biology lesson too!!!!. |
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Andy_P Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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There's more....
From Wikipaedia:
Quote: | The normal human visual field extends to approximately 35 degrees nasally (toward the nose, or inward) in each eye, to 90 degrees temporally (away from the nose, or outwards), and approximately 50 degrees above and below the horizontal meridian. |
I make that a total of around 180 degrees horizontally and 100 degrees vertically, although waving a ruler around in front of me just now, I'd say the "downward" view is quite a bit bigger than the "upward".
Left to right is at least 180 degrees, possibly more. So "Landscape" does make sense.
Ignoring all of that, when driving I can SEE what's ahead, I usually want my TomTom to show me what happens if I turn off down the nearest rat-run! So the more information at the sides the better, as far as I'm concerned. |
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Border_Collie Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 2543 Location: Rainham, Kent. England.
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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For ease of use I always folded my paper maps so only one page would appear, i.e. vertically. For me the Sat Nav is an electronic 'paper' map. I've tried both landscape and vertical and prefer vertical.
Regardless of how many eyes and field of view etc, I'm almost always looking straight ahead when driving, my peripheral vison takes care of most other things. I've tried both 2D and 3D and find 3D gives a more realistic view of what's coming up.
It is all to do with personal preference, maybe the answer would be for all units to have rotating screens and a choice of 2D or 3D. Then everyone could be happy and choose the device they prefer. _________________ Formerly known as Lost_Property
And NO that's NOT me in the Avatar. |
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NickG Frequent Visitor
Joined: Nov 09, 2003 Posts: 357 Location: UK
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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I think that while this is important for cinema screens and large televisions, it's totally irrelevant for sat nav devices as the screen size is so tiny. You will never place the device within 4 inches of your face to use it which is what you'd have to do for the field of view to become relevant! A satnav screen will NEVER EVER even vaguely approach your field of view - and therefore the shape of it doesn't matter.
Contrary to what Darren says, everything I've been taught or have read shows that humans prefer to read information in portrait format. This is why pretty much all books, newspapers, magazines are portrait format. Additionally, even portrait format is too wide for us to cope with for things like data tables and text and the information is commonly split in to narrow and tall columns to make it easier for us to read. I cannot think of any newspaper or magazine that has it's pages in landscape format.
To be honest, I don't really see how somebody can even try to argue that it's more useful to see 3 times further to the sides than it is in front when you're travelling forwards! I probably spend 99.9% of time looking in the direction I'm travelling in when I'm driving (except when checking mirrors) and I think the same is probably true for what you'd want to see on a satnav map. I have very little interest in what's out of my side windows as by the time it's there - it's usually too late! Why would you want to see a POI thats several miles off to one side when there's probably one just up ahead? With a portrait map, you'd have much more time to see road junction layouts, roundabouts and POIs.
Quote: | Ignoring all of that, when driving I can SEE what's ahead |
I seriously doubt that you see more than a few hundred yards with any level of accuracy (especially since nearly all roads are curved!). At 70mph, TomTom shows several miles ahead in portrait mode.
Lets go on (estimated) statistics:
There is probably a 90+% chance that, at any one time, I will be at a location that's vaguely ahead of me or on the same road I'm already on in one mile's time. Compare this to the fact that you probably drive PAST about 95% of the side roads on your trip without turning into any of them. Surely it's more important to see what happens with the road you're actually on, or the turn/junction that's ahead that you KNOW you're going to go on than if you turn down one of the "rat run" roads to the left/right?!
In fact it's VERY worrying that you even look at the screen while driving to see what's several miles to either side. I only ever look at the screen when there's something coming up that affects me - eg a turning/junction/POI that TomTom has already warned me about by voice.[/b] |
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Border_Collie Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 2543 Location: Rainham, Kent. England.
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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I can't disagree with anything you said NickG.
However, I can see the reasoning behind some people wanting to see to the left and right on a landsacape screen. Lorry and coach drivers with high vehicles would find it an advantage if they came across a diversion, and could see if there were any low bridges on that route and take the necessary avoiding action. _________________ Formerly known as Lost_Property
And NO that's NOT me in the Avatar. |
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NickG Frequent Visitor
Joined: Nov 09, 2003 Posts: 357 Location: UK
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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As a software developer myself, I'm sure that adding the option to display the data down the side instead of across the bottom (as in the screen shot I posted previously) would be a very quick and easy fix that would please everyone! That way, the map view would be pretty much square instead of about 3 times wider than it is tall. I'm going to ask TomTom to implement it and I hope others reading this can find a couple of minutes to their site and request this feature too. |
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Darren Frequent Visitor
Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40 Posts: 23848 Location: Hampshire, UK
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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NickG wrote: | Contrary to what Darren says, everything I've been taught or have read shows that humans prefer to read information in portrait format. |
Selective quoting there! My reply to you mentioned research that suggested landscape was the preferred layout, its not my preference. But your comparison with printed media isn't entirely fair or computer screens and TV's would be portrait. Mapping based sat nav (which is what I referred to) is graphical not printed text.
Quote: | As a software developer myself, I'm sure that adding the option to display the data down the side instead of across the bottom (as in the screen shot I posted previously) would be a very quick and easy fix that would please everyone! |
Indeed, as I said in my first response to you I agree with you. Better still a option to have the status info at top, bottom, left or right would be nice.
I have my PPC in portrait mode because I prefer it that way but the GO910 although landscape isn't that much different. There is very little loss of information when comparing them but I would like a wide screen with the option of status information to the side. _________________ Darren Griffin |
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Stanley_Tweedle Regular Visitor
Joined: Jul 10, 2005 Posts: 207
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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Any sign of of a headphone socket on this? Seeing as most competitors have it and they have a bit more space to play with it would be a welcome addition. |
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Darren Frequent Visitor
Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40 Posts: 23848 Location: Hampshire, UK
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:37 pm Post subject: |
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Stanley_Tweedle wrote: | Any sign of of a headphone socket on this? Seeing as most competitors have it and they have a bit more space to play with it would be a welcome addition. |
Not present in the ONE XL no. _________________ Darren Griffin |
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Stanley_Tweedle Regular Visitor
Joined: Jul 10, 2005 Posts: 207
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:55 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for looking Darren. Seems TT have declared all out war on headphone sockets. I can see the vast majority wouldn't use it so it's fair enough. |
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eddieo Regular Visitor
Joined: Oct 29, 2006 Posts: 217
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:04 am Post subject: |
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What about battery life for roaming hand held applications?
when will it be available?
Looking at the Acer P630 as well what do you chaps think? |
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Border_Collie Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 2543 Location: Rainham, Kent. England.
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:15 am Post subject: |
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Quote: | What about battery life for roaming hand held applications? | Reading the specs. it's a 2 hour battery life, with a lithium-ion battery too. Power hungry or what? _________________ Formerly known as Lost_Property
And NO that's NOT me in the Avatar. |
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amjidkhan Occasional Visitor
Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 28
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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How is this model better than the One V2?, apart from the obvious widescreen. |
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Tim Buxton Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: 14/09/2002 20:56:18 Posts: 5231 Location: Surrey, United Kingdom
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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amjidkhan wrote: | How is this model better than the One V2?, apart from the obvious widescreen. |
It has the option to plug in TomTom's TMC module, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on where you live. _________________ Tim |
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mikealder Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jan 14, 2005 Posts: 19638 Location: Blackpool , Lancs
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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Wide screen is one thing, bear in mind the screen is much larger, this offers larger speed and ETA displays (= easier to read). I don't want to re-ignite the portrait vs landscape issue, for myself I used to run PDA's in portrait but since using the 910 I now use the PDA in landscape in the car, personal prefference having tried both modes.
RDS TMC, as Tim points out is a post code lottery in the UK, but a welcome addition negating the need for costly GPRS and subscription for the Plus service.
Flash memory also removes the potential to loose the memory card, even though a slot is still provided for other overseas maps where required. This also means the long running issue of memory card speed is removed when using the on board flash store - Mike |
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