A quick introduction before I start… my name is Chip Noble; I manage the User Interface Design department here at DeLorme. As part of the Earthmate GPS PN-20 team I’ve had the opportunity to watch the device evolve from an early prototype model through to the powerful handheld GPS device that we’re all using today. This blog will share a little of everything… from tips and tricks to how-tos that I think you might find interesting. I’ll be sharing some of the fun ways that we use the PN-20 during testing and even how we use the device on our own free time. I’m hopeful that you’ll be able to learn some new ways to get the most out of your device… and possibly be entertained by reading about how we got to where we are and how we’re planning to go further in the future…
When the marketing group approached me to see if I was interested in sharing usability and design content through the Earthmate GPS PN-20 blog I thought it might be fun to actually start at the beginning… Here’s a photo of the first PN-20 we used to track outdoors.
This picture was taken toward the end of 2004… A funny story to start things off… I was outside with one of the developers trying to make the green arrow show what direction we were walking… we finally realized the 5 mph movement threshold from our in-vehicle system was still turned on. Imagine the two of us running through the parking lot laughing with excitement when the green arrow finally appeared on the screen! Not bad considering it weighed more than my laptop did!
Here is a picture from further along in the prototyping process. It’s a lot more portable than the previous unit although it hadn’t gone through the IPX7 testing… That’s a waterproofing joke for those of you up on your GPS terms. It means you can submerge the device to a depth of 3 feet for 30 minutes and it will continue to function. The released version is certified; this prototype without the plastics wasn’t… We did use it to find the first Geocache logged with a PN-20!
These pictures sure do remind me of how nice the final device turned out… add in new features like the full page Waypoint Details in the 1.4 firmware and you get a sense of just how far we’ve come since that first run through the parking lot!
Check back from time to time… I’ll be sharing more here for those interested in a little glimpse behind the scenes on the PN-20…
-Chip
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OMG
Are you kiddin’?
Like I said, we’ve come a long way since the prototyping stage. I’d like to say that the first device I held in my hand was ready for IPX7 testing… it’s the price I pay for being in the design group but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Besides, it makes for great stories!
-Chip
So where did the name PN-20 come from? Is ’20′ significant, and did you consider other names/model numbers? Personally, I prefer a GPS to have a model number rather than be named after a US state so you can tell which models came before/after the others.
Good question… PN stands for Personal Navigator, the 20 references some under-the-hood details. The naming strategy comes from marketing plans for the Earthmate line; you’ll notice the new LT-40 and the BT-20. These model names stand for Lap Top and Blue Tooth. I know what you mean by model number tracking… it’s clear that the LT-40 is an improvement on the LT-20. I do think that the new labels being used by Garmin and Magellan are nice. It’s interesting that we’ve all landed with similar approaches; the Garmin Colorado 400t, the Magellan Triton 2000, and the DeLorme Earthmate PN-20. I’ve sat in on marketing meetings in the past and am always impressed by how much thought goes into all of these decisions.
Thanks for the comment!
-Chip
i have a earthmate pn-20 and was wondering is there a way to fidn true north?
By default, PN-Series GPS devices use true north – it’s where the Compass points. Magnetic North can be chosen in Device Setup > Units > Bearing