Garmin, a manufacturer of GPS systems for cars, announced that they will be adding the voice of Yoda and Darth Vader into their products.
I love my GPS. It has saved me a few times from being completely lost while trying to find the new restaurant my friend suggested or that far away place for which I’ve never been. It has a nice soothing female voice that lets me know where to turn and the best route. And in an environment where drivers are pretty crazy, that smoothness can help keep the stress down.
But I also love Star Wars and I was disappointed when I saw that TomTom GPS systems had C3PO, Vader, Yoda and R2-D2 (which I am not sure how he would give directions when he can’t talk). I wanted those voices. Almost enough to make me switch, but I’m not one of those that switches just for gimmicks. But when Garmin announced that there were downloadable “voice skins” for my particular GPS system, I was thrilled. And at $13, they are reasonably priced.
[video=youtube;bJSd1Alfd64]
Here’s the rub though. I thought they were cool for perhaps an hour or two, but in the end, they were just gimmicks. Darth doesn’t just tell you the directions you should go, but makes comments about your driving and how he will destroy you if you don’t make the proper turns. At the end of the video above, you’ll see what I mean. Basically he comments that he’s impressed you were able to actually follow his directions at all. I wonder what he says if you disobey when the GPS tells you to turn into a lake.
The Yoda one was even more problematic. I love Yoda in the films and his unique way of talking was one of the things that made him stand out. But as a GPS system that is specifically designed to give clear and concise instructions, it can be hard to understand when noise or talking is a distraction in the car.
But maybe it’s just me as I am a firm believer in the less distractions in a car, the safer the trip. And I really thought these would be awesome, but in retrospect, they’re fun for a short time. At least they had the good sense not to come out with a Jar Jar one. “Meesa say turn left now!!! He cut you off!!! How wude!!!” Okay, need an aspirin just thinking about it.
The voice skins come with a background picture for the GPS as well relating to the character youare buying. In other words Darth gets a TIE Fighter while Yoda gets an X-Wing. They can be downloaded at Garmin’s premium store. Other skins from Garmin include Spongebob Squarepants, Dora the Explorer, a Squirrel (and I thought Yoda was bad), a Yeti, Dr. Nightmare for those creepy moments, and Elfred the Elf for the holidays. Third parties also have other voice skins such as KITT from Knight Rider, Burt Reynolds, and for rappers, Flava Flav.
