One of those little personally named `flyers` popped through the letter box, yesterday. An invite to send in £130 and to receive a CD in return - for new maps of the UK.

(Pity I had just downloaded the latest maps from Navteq (AKA Nokia) onto the E71for free - of the whole world too. Except that is for Patagonia and LA, both being zones unlikely to be visited.)

But back to the offer of the CD. The Connect Nav into which they used to be inserted is long gone (shudder) Opitimism perhaps, that it might still be grinding away almost nine years later..I grimace at the memory, but once paid around £300 in 2002 for European discs.

Then there were the follow on Garmin, stand alone units (in the follow on cars) - You got one free map update on purchase - then it was back to paying for updates and the camera POI`s - though i never bothered.

Built in batteries too - and little hard drives whirring away as they covered Europe. I Wonder how much it would cost to cover the world though with those £130 - for - the - UK - discs. £1,000?

Fortunately Google brought a bit of competition and Nokia bought Navteq.

Free now on a smartphone... who would have anticipated that?

Just remembered too. The built in Connect Nav cost £1,500 as an optional extra in 2001, although I never batted an eyelid over that as I was working then.

But all of that and better for free on a phone that many of us would need anyway, for email and so on.

Incidentally, flogged the Garmin Sat Nav for £40 today and was amazed to get that. They are flooding into second hand shops apparently as owners get what they can, before the `penny drops`

£130 for a UK only, CD though... wonder if there were any takers?

oilrag

Edited by oilrag on 20/07/2010 at 08:02