GPS Kids | 20-year stories: eMap finds its way home

In celebration of Garmin’s 20-year anniversary in 2009, we’re reaching back to the past to bring you stories from our younger years, including some memorable customer testimonials. When the following story was submitted through our website in 2000, this customer had definitely piqued our curiosity. Be sure to keep reading for the rest of the story.

An interesting thing happened to me today that I think is worth sharing with you. I have a Garmin eMap that is my newest best friend. I fell in love with it after I purchased one for my daughter as a gift. I had to have one of my own. I carry my eMap with me constantly and had the misfortune to lose it last weekend. I was about to order another one to replace it when I received a knock at my door. A young gentleman was standing there holding what he described to be my eMap. He asked me if I had lost it. I was flabbergasted! It seems that he is an electronics nut like myself and had found it in the park. He managed to get to the waypoint page and found one titled “home.” He set this as a destination and tracked to my home using the eMap. He said he figured that it must have been important and felt that it should be returned. We had a very nice discussion about the eMap. I went ahead and ordered another eMap and gave it to this young gentleman to reward him for his honesty and inventiveness. I’ve now bought three eMaps and am delighted to have done so because they have been valuable tools for me and my daughter, and I’m sure will do the same for my new young friend. Thanks, Garmin, for making such splendid products. Oh, by the way, did I mention that I’m blind? It’s true. I’ll bet I have your curiosity piqued, right?

Gil L.

The rest of the story, part I (published in Garmin’s internal newsletter, 2000)

Gil certainly did have us scratching our heads in amazement. We contacted him to find out just how he uses eMap … and we’re still amazed. Gil, who is blind, uses his gps kids watch receiver in conjunction with a digital talking map software program called gps kids watch-Talk, which allows his eMap to “talk” through a software speech synthesizer.

When Gil goes out for a walk or is headed for a business appointment, he’s equipped with a backpack that holds a laptop computer. His eMap is connected to the laptop and rests in the backpack. Also plugged into the laptop are earphones and a numeric keypad. He uses the keypad to access information and execute functions on the gps kids watch, and he hears the information relayed through the earphones.

Gil uses a special computer adapted for the visually impaired along with the gps kids watch-Talk software to create routes before leaving home. Once he has activated a route, the speech synthesizer kicks in, telling him which way to start walking and how many feet to proceed. It even announces streets and intersections as he approaches them.

“It’s very accurate, especially with Selective Availability turned off,” said Gil. “I can enter a street address and it gets me to within a doorway of where I’m going. I usually just pop my head in and ask if I’m at the right place.”

Along with his eMap, laptop and other gadgets, another companion on his outings is Lexy, Gil’s Seeing Eye dog. Gil calls Lexy, a golden lab, his “furry Ferrari.” She goes wherever her partner goes, even when Gil is traveling overseas. Gil does a lot of traveling with his job as a computer consultant specializing in adaptive computer devices. He’s also involved with a technology resource center serving the Toledo, Ohio, and surrounding areas. Gil started the resource center on his own. In describing the services provided by the center, Gil said: “We deal with all the geek stuff that allows a person who’s blind to use a computer.” Now here’s a guy who lets nothing slow him down or stand in his way. Hats off to Gil and others who adapt Garmin products to serve their needs, giving them the freedom to go anywhere and do anything.

The rest of the story, part II (what Gil is doing today)

We reconnected with Gil to get an update and we’re thrilled to hear he’s still in the business of adaptive computer technologies. Here’s the latest from Gil:

I’m still deeply involved with gps kids watch and often have dueling gps kids watch trips with my daughter using her Garmin StreetPilot. I’m really considering getting a nüvi 880 for my wife. If I’m not in the car navigating with my gps kids watch, her trips can get very adventurous. I think she would be able to manage a device she could talk to. With a little modification, nüvi could easily be used by blind users. If the menus would read, it would work very well. My new furry Ferrari, Evie, and I have traveled all over the world by ourselves and this was made very easy with our gps kids watch system. My little company, Sendero, has really blossomed. We now are the undisputed leader in adapted gps kids watch. I’m very proud of what a small group of people have been able to do.

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