Tech

Enter roundabout

I remember that Tuesday in March 1994. My supervisor at college and I jammed his car boot so that it just held an antenna in place. A cable ran over the coats on the back seat to a cranky laptop I carried. The screen showed the London A-Z and magically updated our location as we moved.

It was just under a year after the GPS constellation was completed and it was my first experience of satellite navigation. Two years later I had my own GPS receiver and have carried one on all my walks since.

Why then was I so impressed today with Emma's new in-car box of tricks? It politely guided us to our destination and took detours in its stride.

I think it was the way the device blended with the environment. That the technology was up to the job was no surprise; that it could do so without getting in the way was a delight. And unlike ten years ago the map showed us right on the road, not consistently fifty metres to the south in the lake.