It takes a little while getting used to the Navman R300 GPS-enabled device. First of all, you have to tighten the strap to your left arm and ensure that you are able to look over askance and decipher the digits on the display. They will need to work on the display, especially in making it glare free. I tried comparing the speed readout with the speedometer on my Camry as I drove down the freeway and it was close to within 5% or error. So, at lower speeds, the margin of error may factor even less and I am therefore, fine with that. The strap tightening system is not perfect and the tension in the strap does give a little if you exert your biceps once in a while. I believe all these drawbacks could be fixed and it is a good overall product. Now it remains to be seen how long this product will last and how long each AA battery is going to last under normal use. I have already dropped the device on asphalt because the strap came off -- the snapping mechanism is a slim plastic tab -- and as I said before, the strap could use a better tethering mechanism because the device is not ultralight either. So, all in all, I can see a better display, a lighter device, and better strap-and-lock feature on this device. As it stands now, I would rate it a 3 out of 5 so far. And what about that name, "Navman"....I think that could change too unless the company only intends the product to be used by Superman, Spiderman, and their ilk.
Los Angeles is quintessentially a city that has revolved around the automobile. For decades that ethos has been reflected in the design of the automobile and the physical location of the design centers of various automobile companies in the Southern California - Lexus, Nissan, BMW, to name a few. And that spirit is partly reflected in the hallways of the Petersen automotive museum, a mish-mash of automobiles from different decades of mostly the 20th century. To feature all the automobiles that cemented the auto-culture in Los Angeles would take an enormous building, probably bigger than the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, but the Petersen Museum bookends history fairly well starting with the people's car, Ford Model T, and ending with the opulent excess, the Bugatti Veyron. What would have made the exhibits even more diverse is an addition of a gallery of lemons, Ford Pinto's, Yugo's, etc. Of course, a gas-guzzling civilian Hummer to show why the oil is still the reason why nations would wage illegal wars. But if you need to catch a glimpse of Fred Astaire's Rolls Royce or the Batmobile, this is the venue.
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