One of my favorite uses of the LifeDrive is to store driving directions. I always have my route handy, I don’t have to worry about printing out on paper, and I can retrieve the directions again if I revisit the location in the future.
My process is usually something like this:
- I look up the driving directions on my laptop using Mapquest or Yahoo Maps.
- Then I capture a screenshot of the directions.
- The .jpg file is sent to the LifeDrive using Bluetooth.
- The screenshot is displayed in my Media app for easy viewing.
At this point you’re probably asking yourself, “Why doesn’t he just send a text file to his LifeDrive?” Good question. I used to do that. But I’ve found that the text files are much harder to read than the Mapquest directions. Plus, the LifeDrive wants to use the Documents to Go application for reading even simple text files, and that’s a much less friendly program to manage than the Media app.
Mapquest directions are easy to read on my LifeDrive screen.
If I want to include a snapshot of the map itself, that’s easy too. I’ve found that this technique is also great for bus, train, and ferry schedules. Again, the nice html formatting is more pleasing to the eye than plain text.
It’s funny, a while back I started taking pictures of signs and posters instead of writing notes while shooting on location. Now I take screenshots of maps and driving directions. The big LifeDrive screen and fast Bluetooth connectivity makes this process easy.
One final tip: Don’t forget that you can rotate your images on the LifeDrive screen by pressing the middle button on its left side. This often provides better proportions for viewing directions and maps.
The LifeDrive Chronicles
Ch 1 - Internet Radio
Ch 2 - Gmail Instead of POP
Ch 3 - A Versatile Photog’s Assistant
Ch 4 - The Perfect BT Phone Companion
Ch 5 - Audio Shuttle and Player
