Women drivers—they have been the butt of sexist jokes since the invention of the wheel.. Ladies may finally be having the last laugh, however, following a British study into parking habits.

After reviewing camera footage of thousands of drivers from all over Britain, researchers from the parking lot firm NCP concluded that while women may take longer to park, they are more likely to position a car in the middle of the parking slot. They were also better at locating a parking space than men. Researchers said the results may show that women have better spatial awareness than their male counterparts.

The news link - Women are better at parking than men, study suggests

Maybe you’ve heard this story before. A man and a woman are driving down a lonely back road when it becomes clear that they are hopelessly lost. The woman suggests stopping at a gas station up ahead to ask for directions. The man is having none of it.

“Nonsense!” he confidently declares. “I know exactly where we are. If we keep going this way, we are bound to hit a major highway.”

So they drive on and, most likely, are never heard from again.

An unfair stereotype, you say? Don’t most stereotypes contain some small grain of truth?

As a member of the male gender, I will be the first to admit that I am loath to ask for directions when lost. This is particularly true when I’m driving a vehicle loaded with family members whose lives I quite literally hold in my hands. To ask a stranger for directions would be an admission that I as a father could not fulfill my role as provider and protector. It’s just how we men are wired.

As evidence of men’s single-minded aversion to third-party navigation, a study released last month in the U.K. found that 83 percent of male drivers second guess their GPS devices. We are not talking about getting directions from the teen clerk in a roadside convenience store; this is a gadget whose sole purpose is to guide drivers from point A to point B—space age technology.

The study by a British insurance company Swinton discovered that the vast majority of men find their satnav devices to be “untrustworthy” and “inaccurate.” According to Swinton, drivers were often right in distrusting these devices and were just being prudent by balancing electronic guidance with personal intuition and experience. GPS devices, handy and helpful though they are, are not infallible, the insurer reasoned.

We at Mio would argue that the mistrust of the GPS has less to do with this logic than deeply ingrained human instinct. After all, we as a species descended from nomads. That same nomadic spirit is coded into our DNA and comes out when we are winding down a forgotten country road with our wives and a carload of kids. Someone wiser than I once asked, “Did Christopher Columbus stop to ask for directions when he set out to find a shorter route to India?” Of course not, and he got lucky and stumbled ashore on a new continent. 

We can’t all be so fortunate. Intuition and an adventurous spirit are fine, but doesn’t it make sense to back that up with best available personal navigation technology? Remember that for every Columbus, there were a hundred other explorers who set sail never to be heard from again.

The explosion of mobile technology has led to intersection of the asphalt and information highways. Vehicle navigation has gotten onboard by connecting to online information resources, maps in particular. For a GPS to function properly, it relies on two key components:

1. The GPS receiver, which is the antenna embedded in the device that connects to the satellite in orbit and knows your current position.
2. The maps of the place through which you are navigating that give you idea about your surroundings relative your position.

Let’s focus on maps. For 99.9% of portable navigation devices sold in the market, maps are preloaded in the device’s on-board memory or the memory card when shipped from the factory. That was until November 2009 when Google announced its new service, Google Maps Navigation, the world’s first Internet-connected navigation system that not only provides you with the free maps, but also turn-by-turn voice and visual guidance. The company which made a name for itself in online search has moved seamlessly into cloud-based applications and even the handheld hardware market, becoming a brand that most consumers are already familiar and comfortable with. However, we feel that those who are ready to write off traditional on-board PNDs may be jumping the gun. In fact, German Apple and iPhone news blog Apfelnews.eu recently ranked the Mio Moov Spirit V735 with DVBT favorably when tested head-to-head with the iPhone’s Google Maps-based navigation, saying that the iPhone was outclassed by the feature-rich PND.

On its surface, Google Maps Navigation seems to perform many of the same functions as other modern PNDs. There are some key differences worth considering if you are in the market for a GPS device. Let’s take you through some of the pros and cons of preloaded vs. Internet-connected maps, then you can decide for yourself whether this new kind of connected navigation device suitable for you. Here are our observations.

Internet-based Navigation
From our experience using the new Google Maps Navigation system, it does function much the same way as normal PND at first glance. It calculates routes at an acceptable speed. Voice and text-to-speech guidance is provided at every turn. Like some high-end PNDs, Google also provides junction views, real-time traffic info and points-of-interest. Most important of all, the Google service appears to cost the consumer nothing extra, from using the application to getting the most up-to-date map data and real-time information! It almost seems too good to be true.

It is worth pointing out that Google is in business to make money, and most of us grew up being told that there is no such a thing as free lunch. Here are a few points worth considering before rushing to Internet-based navigation.

1. Map Refresh and Routing

The holy trinity of navigation is maps, routing and guidance. For Internet-based map navigation, all map data, route calculations and text-to-speech are being stored, processed and then streamed to your device. A high-speed, quality 3G network is a must-have to match on-board navigation performance. You might see a slight map refresh delay while in navigation mode, as well as lag in the route re-calculation, as all these functions required 3G networks to bridge communication between the server and device.

Google now promises that all the map data and related information are downloaded when the route is calculated, which means the Internet-connected map navigation will lead you to your destination, even if you lose your signal in the middle of your journey. That’s all well and good in the service zone, but what if you start a new journey at a location in a dead spot and/or no no network coverage? Or what if you change one of your waypoints and it requires a new route calculation and new map content to be downloaded while you are beyond the reach of 3G coverage?

2. Map Data Quality

One of the biggest advantages of off-board map navigation is that content on the maps is always up-to-date. Such map data are automatically refreshed by the service provider right from the server site. This means no extra cost for the map updates, nor troublesome installation and synchronization for getting updates to your device. However, you should keep in mind that this doesn’t mean map updates are free. They become a part of your 3G service fee, which you pay on a monthly basis.

Speaking of 3G service, before you start dreaming of using Google Maps Navigation on your handheld device the next time you travel to Paris or Bombay, keep the following in mind. Though Google Maps now includes maps of most major international locations, your device from home will likely not have access to a local 3G connection abroad, assuming one is available, unless you buy into an expensive roaming plan.

As we know, the current GPS manufacturers are working with local map providers, which invest large amounts of financial and human capital into trying to supply users with the most up-to-date road and location information. As there will be no cost to customers to get the up-to-date maps, it is difficult for us to foresee how Google can maintain map quality without charging. Based on our past experience using Goggle and observing its free-service business model, it should come as no surprise if we see pop-up POI advertising included with place information while using Google Maps Navigation in the future.

3.  Place Search

The cloud computing model on which Google Maps Navigation is based makes intuitive voice search possible for online devices. So far, no on-board navigation devices can accept the full, non-stop voice input for place search. Too much CPU power is required to analyze voice input and provide related results from the database in a suitably short period of time. Full-address voice search makes locating places and inputting long addresses hassle free, especially when driving and need to keep your hands on the wheel.

Which is best for me?
Okay, now you know the pros and cons of the two forms of map navigation. You are most likely asking yourself, “Which one is best for me?” Let’s break down the differences point by point to decide which camp you fall into.

1. Internet-connected navigation might be best for you if…
a. All of places you anticipate using the navigation service have quality high-speed network access.
b. You are a heavy user of a data service and have unlimited 3G packaging.
c. You are the kind of person who prefers an all-in-one device, and intend to purchase a smartphone in the near future.

2. On-board navigation might be best for you if…
a. The places you want to use your navigation service don’t always have 3G coverage
b. You are likely to use your GPS for international travel
c. You only plan to use the GPS in your vehicle and prefer to have a dedicated and stable device working for you

Conclusion
Only you can ultimately decide which form of map navigation is right for you. It all boils down to how and where you want to use your GPS device. If you already plan to purchase a smartphone and have access to an unlimited data with your service provider, Internet-based navigation is probably the best choice for you. However, if you plan to venture off the beaten path--into the mountain or overseas to a foreign country--a dedicated navigation device with maps loaded on-board won’t leave you hanging in an unfamiliar and inhospitable environment.