Knight Rider GPS

Last Christmas, I got a GPS with the voice of KITT from the 1980's version of Knight Rider — a perfect example of product placement if ever there was one.  I've found it to be one of the more useful presents I've ever been given, allowing me to explore a greater amount of Southern California (and, let's be honest, there's quite a lot of it to be explored) than I would probably have otherwise done.  Need to scout out all of the Targets in the area to find that elusive exclusive?  KITT will tell you how to find the nearest one.

I can't really speak to how well KITT compares to other GPS devices, since this is really the first one with which I have any experience.  Most of my own use has been with the "search nearby" feature, where I can type in the name of the business I want to locate ("Toys R Us," for example), and KITT will then figure out where the nearest ones are, and I can then choose the one I want directions to.  I've used the "address" feature a few times, especially for longer trips, but I've had to curtail my long-distance travel quite a bit this past year just to keep expenses down.  Also noteworthy is a setting for "food" that will list all the restaurants nearby.  Perfect for when one needs a little help deciding what to eat!

I have one minor gripe with the system.  Although I've found the directions to be generally accurate, KITT often seems unable to determine what side of the street the destination is really supposed to be on.  When I use it to get home from a place I've never been before, for example, I find that KITT always tells me that the apartment building is on the right, even though it's actually on the left as often as not.  This is a minor irritant, at worst, but I do wish the programmers would have cleared that kind of thing up.  Still, having a car (device) that talks to me is pretty cool.  Now if I can only get it to drive itself!