The new version of DeLorme Street Atlas 2009 with the LT-40 GPS unit would be a great addition to my "mobile office." (photos below) I spend the majority of my time in my little towing vehicle. Some would call it a "tow truck" but I only tow motorcycles, trikes, 'mules' and golf carts, etc., so I really don't consider it to be a full fledged "tow truck." Anyway, since I spend all of that time in the cab, I have made it as user-friendly as possible. I have installed a few "toys" to keep me entertained while I am parked under a shady tree or eating a quick #2 combo meal, or even while driving down the road.
I installed a full-blown PC with the Windows XP Pro operating system. I use it
mainly for GPS navigation. Those "
Squint-Squint" units are nice, but MY GPS is displayed on a 17" LCD flat panel monitor that I hope to replace one day with an ELO touchscreen version!
I currently use DeLorme Road Atlas
(Update: 2009!) and M-S Streets & Trips 2008 as my navigation software workhorses, along with Windows Live! and even Google Earth, Virtual Earth and Map Quest. They have FAR more capability for navigation than any of the small, dedicated and expensive GPS units by Magellan, Garmin, Tom-Tom and so on. Instead of poking at a small screen, I use a full-sized keyboard and my trackball mounted to the driver's door. (I am left-handed, which is a definite advantage.)
With my AT&T broadband wireless internet connection, I can open up Windows LIVE! and get an aerial view of where I am, so I can find my way around and through those maze-crazy apartment complexes. I can also bring up
www.beta.SigAlert.com, which displays live traffic pattern overlays onto the freeway maps. Green is fast, yellow is moderate and red is slow! This REALLY helps me avoid traffic snarls.
The computer also serves as a message center for my DEAF customers who send me text messages on my Blackberry or through a chat window when they need assistance. I use the computer to respond because it is faster to type a response on a full-sized (illuminated) keyboard and send it as an email, and if their phones have video capability, I can sign to them via the Logitech Pro 5000 web cam.
I also print invoices, send and receiving faxes, and I usually have a chat room open (PalTalk) where people can watch my live web cam as I drive around southern California. (NO, I don't "chat" while I am driving!) I never tell people where I am. I let them guess, based on what they can see. People all around the world watch my cam, and they seem to enjoy it, especially when I drive past the mega-million dollar homes or along the beach!
I never allow my company name or phone number to be seen on cam. I don't want people to call me just because they think it would be "cool" to talk to me while they watch my cam over the Internet. The California mountains (?) play havoc with cellular signals, so occasionally the connection is a bit slow, or it drops out altogether.
The most recent "toy" I added was a surprise birthday gift. It is called the
"Magic Jack." It is a little USB device that is slightly larger than a thumb drive. It has a regular old home telephone jack in the other end. I plug it into one of the computer's USB ports, it installs it's own software, and a minute later, I can pick up any ordinary telephone that is plugged into the RJ-11 jack, and make unlimited phone calls to anywhere in America for as long as I want using voice-over-Internet. My customers are shocked when, upon asking if they can use my phone, I hand them my AT&T white PRINCESS touch-tone phone! They think it is a joke at first, until they pick it up and hear the dial tone. The Magic Jack costs $40 for the initial purchase which includes a phone number you choose from a list, and a year of unlimited calling. It is $20 per year after that. The clarity is often FAR better than my cellular phone, and I like having a second line for whatever needs may arise. It can also serve as my "land line" for my credit card processing machine. Of course, if I am driving and my Internet connection starts to lose "bars," the conversation becomes choppy. Nothing is perfect.
What else? Oh, I LOVE my XM radio! It is worth every penny! no matter where I drive, the station will not fade out, and it is CD quality sound! Recent California law has required me to purchase a bluetooth hands-free unit, so my Motorola Bluetooth unit is now clipped to the visor. it is a bit of a pain though, because I have to pair up to it and drop the signal every time I wander more than about 30 feet from the truck.
With all of the electronics, my AM radio reception is predictably lousy! To solve
this problem, I use the Internet, and listen to AM radio stations over the net feed, sent to my FM radio via a wireless FM transmitter fed to an unused FM station, usually 88.1 . This is another shocker for my customers, when they climb into my truck and hear their hometown radio station from another STATE playing on my radio. They are usually quite entertained by their ability to listen to their local news while riding along California highways. I like to keep my customers happy :rofl"
I added a color printer for office duties on the road. Once, while stopped at a burger joint, someone asked me for directions to an address, figuring that I was a tow truck driver so I should be able to give accurate directions. I printed them full color maps with turn-by-turn directions using DeLorme. I wish I had taken out that digital SONY CyberShot camera from the dash compartment so I could've caught the look on their faces.
All of the "Stuff" is all powered by dual AUX batteries feeding a 1750 watt power inverter. Of course, the rechargeable MAG-lite is there at the ready. The second 1,000 watt inverter is ready for use, but only there for backup.
I have a JVC Camcorder mounted to the dash to capture everything that happens in front of the vehicle. If nothing happens, I format the drive and record again, but here in California, insurance fraud is rampant, and TWICE people have tried to "Swoop and Squat" me, trying to force me to rear-end them. I have avoided both collisions, and captured the second one on cam.
I also captured an escaping vehicle on cam while filling up at a gas station. It was a hit-and-run at the intersection, but sadly, the camera resolution was set too low to identify the vehicle.
Soon I will add a Honda EU2000 generator to the truck, so I can run it while I am away from the vehicle. The batteries and inverter work for a while, but for extended 'away time,' I need a method for feeding my power-hungry cab! The generator will be fired up and will run while I am in a restaurant, or visiting friends, or poking around Fry's for more
absolutely essential electronics. This will be a real time saver, as I will not have to "boot up" my truck when I am away from it for long periods of time. At night, I can just plug the truck into house current to keep everything humming along nicely while the engine rests.
I update my DeLorme and S&T software every year, so it would be a pleasant surprise to WIN the newest version of DeLorme, and it would be in service nearly 24 hours per day! (Update: 2009 SA already installed!)
Now if I could just add a megaphone behind the grill, so I can shout at the lousy drivers who talk on their cellular phones while driving. Don't you hate people who allow distractions to affect their driving?